


At The Wrong Place

by Eleni_Sk



Series: Coronas and Viruses [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Bratva, Bratva Oliver Queen, Gen, Kidnapping, Not for Donna fans, Wrong person, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23991394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eleni_Sk/pseuds/Eleni_Sk
Summary: She didn’t know how much she could take. And she was so cold.They cut her. They beat her. They taunted her. They made fun of her. She just really wanted to cry. And she did. When she was alone.Every day they sent in a new guy to try and get her to talk. But she knew nothing. Not that it mattered. They didn’t believe her.The Sequel is up!
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: Coronas and Viruses [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698355
Comments: 232
Kudos: 373





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reading a lot of Bratva stories, and this one popped in my head. Well, a lot of them did, but let's start with this one. I hope you all are safe! Hang in there! We're going to make it!

She had been kidnapped four days ago. Well, that’s what she thought, at least. They had her in warehouse, tied to a chair, only allowed one bathroom visit a day, with one of their female members for company. And they kept asking her weird questions about some lost drugs. And she had to bloody idea what they were talking about, or why they thought she held the answers to those questions.

She was tired and her body hurt, both because she was constantly on that damn chair and because of the torture. She didn’t know how much she could take. And she was so cold.

They cut her. They beat her. They taunted her. They made fun of her. She just really wanted to cry. And she did. When she was alone.

Every day they sent in a new guy to try and get her to talk. But she knew nothing. Not that it mattered. They didn’t believe her.

The door opened, to reveal her tormentor for the day. But when she raised her eyes to see him, she was taken aback. He was gorgeous. And hot, so damn hot. He had brilliant eyes and she could tell he was built like a Greek god. And he was tall, probably a good foot taller than her.

“I really don’t want to hurt you” he said in perfect English, “you have to help me so that I can help you. You know I can inflict a _lot_ of pain. That’s why they sent me. Just tell us where the drugs are and that’s it.”

Felicity sighed. Here we go again. “I didn’t take any drugs. I didn’t”

“We both know that’s not true, Donna.” The man sighed.

“What?” she frowned. “Why would you call me that?”

“Because that’s your name” he raised an eyebrow.

“No, it isn’t. That’s my mother’s name.” she cocked her head, trying to figure out what was happening. “My name is Felicity. Though, I am not so sure I should be telling you that, considering that I don’t know you and that you were sent to hurt me.”

“You’re not Donna Angelica Smoak?” he asked.

“No, that is my mother, well if you can call her that. My name is Felicity Megan Smoak.” She replied as firmly as she could manage.

“Those incompetent idiots.” He swore and took out his phone. He called someone and they had a heated conversation in what seemed like Russian to her. He seemed to get angrier my the second, judging by the way he talked and his facial expressions.

When he hung up the phone, he punched the wall behind him, making her flinch violently. He moved away from her and to the other side of the room, behind her. She could hear him opening cupboards and looking for things. He reappeared a minute later with medical supplied. He put them on the table next to the chair and then stood in front of her.

“Wh-What is going on?” she asked, afraid for his reply.

“Your mother stole two million dollars’ worth of prescription drugs from the Bratva.” He said.

“The Bratva?”

“The Russian Mob.” He took a look at her wounds. “Two new guys were sent to retrieve her, but obviously they screwed up, and took you instead. The Las Vegas Captain and the Pakhan are on their way here, as we speak.”

“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked in a small voice. She really didn’t want to die. She was just 20. She wanted to live.

“I’m going to take care of your wounds, for now. I was ordered not to untie you, so you are stuck on the chair for now.” He said and Felicity thought that he was genuinely sorry.

She nodded her head gingerly but said nothing. He worked quickly and efficiently, cleaning her wounds, even bandaging a couple. One of the cuts on her thigh needed a couple stitches. There wasn’t any numbing agent available, so he had to do them without it. He told her so. And he warned her that it was going to hurt.

He cleaned her face, too. She had a few bruises and she winced every time he put pressure on them. And Felicity could have sworn that his administrations were getting softer and softer, like he didn’t want to see her in pain. It must have been her imagination. He was some sort of mob enforcer; he probably didn’t care if she was in pain.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, when the door opened again. This time a middle-aged man, that was dressed to the nines and looked important, and a younger guy entered. They greeted the Greek God (he hadn’t given her a name, sue her) and he them and then turned to her.

“We are terribly sorry, for your ordeal, my girl. Those responsible will be dealt with accordingly.” The middle-aged man said. He had a heavy accent, Felicity noted. “You shouldn’t have endured all this in your mother’s place.”

“She has always managed to pull in on her messes.” She said quietly. And it was true. Ever since her father left, her mother always brought trouble to the house. Drugs, alcohol, men, you name it, Felicity had seen it.

“No matter. You were innocent and I am terribly sorry we took that away from you.” The man said.

“What’s going to happen to me now? I truly don’t know where your drugs are.” Felicity pleaded.

“I believe you, child. However, you know too much to jest let you go.” He said. “You have options, of course. You can either undergo the Bratva initiation or marry one of the Captains, the American Captain, to be exact. He is the only one without a wife. I shall give you some time to think about it. Ivan and I will go find some food, for our guest.” He said the last part to the Greek God.

They left, leaving a shell-shocked Felicity behind. She had to become a Bratva member or marry a Captain she didn’t know. She could read between the lines. They couldn’t risk her saying anything to anyone and this way she would be tied to the Bratva. Her third option was for her body to be discovered in a river or something.

“What’s the initiation? What does it entail?” she asked brokenly. “Can you tell me?”

He stayed quiet for a few moments and Felicity thought that he wouldn’t answer, but he proved her wrong. “There are three steps to the initiation. First is the bell test; you have to fight Bratva members to ring the bell behind them. Those who fail are killed. Then you have the knives; you have to trust your brothers with a knife, while they cut your back. And finally, you have to perform a hit successfully, without any questions asked.” He said detached. “At least that’s the initiation I went through to become a captain.”

“You’re a Captain?”

“I’m the American Captain.” He said, moving to stand in front of her.

“Why would you agree to marry me?” she frowned. “You don’t know me. I’m nothing to you and you were literally sent to torture me.”

“A few reasons.” He shrugged. “It’s a test for me, to prove my loyalty. I’m the only American Captain in the Solntsevskaya Bratva and most Captains don’t trust me. Some have tried to kill me. And I don’t won’t you to go through an initiation. Even if you manage to fight of the five members protecting the bell and ring it, the next two steps will change you to your very core. You don’t look to be much older than my sister. I would never want that for her.”

“So, it would be a marriage of convenience? For both of us?”

“Mostly. We have to look like we are actually married to the Bratva. So, no divorce. We have to have a Russian Ceremony and wear our wedding rings. But other than that, we don’t have to really be married.” He said, trying to assure her. He knew what she was afraid of. Many mob members, from various organizations and families had brought shame to them by forcing themselves on women and raping them. And Oliver felt disgusted by it.

“Would it be okay if I chose the marriage? Because I really don’t want to end up in a body bag or in a river somewhere.” She asked one more time. she had made her choice. She knew he was dangerous, but he had been straight with her, honest. And he had tried to help her even before he realized that they had the wrong woman. And granted, it could be a mind game or some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, but for some inexplicable reason, she felt she could trust him.

“Yes.” He said simply.

“Do I get to know your name? Since we are getting married and everything?” she asked nervously. There is no way she was calling him a Greek God to his face.

“Oliver. Oliver Queen.” He said softly.

“Queen?! But-but you-“

“It’s complicated. And no, no one knows I’m alive. I will keep it that way for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?” he looked her in the eye and Felicity had to fight the shiver that ran down her spine.

“Yeah.” She nodded. They stayed quiet for some time. felicity was trying to wrap her mind around what was going to happen. She was going to marry a Bratva Captain because her mother stole their drugs. That was her life!

“I used to have plans, you know.” She huffed a bitter laugh.

“Plans?”

“Yeah. I have two master’s degrees from MIT. I wanted to work in big tech company, learn the ropes and then open my own. I did some free lancing in Vegas. It got me some good money. I wanted to travel the world, see new places. I wanted to fall in love. But my mother had to take my dreams away from me.” She couldn’t help the tears that escaped her. “She always mocked me for having those dreams and then she stole from the Bratva. And here we are.” She sighed.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. If anything, I should be thanking you. You’re quite literally saving my life. There is no way I would have survived the initiation. And you seem like a decent person, even if I don’t know you, really.” She blinked, willing the tears away.

“Don’t thank me.” He said lowly.

They stayed in silence until the two men returned. The middle-aged man introduced himself as Anatoly Knyazev, the Pakhan. The other guy was Gregory. They brought her soup and some clothes. She was told she was in Russia. Fracking Russia! She was taken from Las Vegas, but apparently, this was not the first time screwed the Russians and that meant she had to meet the higher ups.

Anatoly seemed excited that she chose to marry the American Captain and after releasing her, he kissed them on the cheeks and sent them off to Oliver’s place. And Felicity got more and more nervous by the minute. She was going to be alone with Oliver Queen, Bratva Captain in his house.

But he was respectful of her. She showed her around the small studio apartment and sent her off to have a shower. And she was thankful for it. She felt so dirty after so many days in that bloody chair.

She tried not to spend too much time in the shower. She didn’t want to come off as ungrateful or something. She stayed long enough to clean herself, mindful of her injuries. She dried herself with the towel Oliver had given her and dressed, avoiding looking in the mirror. She made that mistake wen she was undressing. Her face had some small cuts, but two large bruises: one on her left cheekbone and one on the right side of her jaw. Her arms were littered with cuts and same with her legs. Oliver had said that other that the cut that needed stitches, nothing else should scar. That was something at least.

The clothes Anatoly had brought her were some sweatpants, a T-shirt and a sweat jacket. They were a little big on her, but she was thankful for the clean and comfortable clothes. She used a brush she found in the bathroom pulled her hair in a braid. She was thankful she always had a hair elastic on her wrist. Oh, the small things in life.

She straightened the bathroom as best as she could and hand washed the underwear she had been wearing. Those were going to come in handy. She hanged them behind the door to dry and picked the dress she had been wearing. It was bloody and torn. No sense in trying to clean it. She threw it in the trash and got out of the bathroom.

“Anatoly wants me to teach you about the brotherhood.” He told her when he saw her.

“Oh?”

“The business side of it, not how to kill.” He clarified. “How we make money and how we … invest said money. The rules inside the family. And his wife will come by in a few days to teach us about Russian weddings and the Bratva traditions.”

“Right. Do you know what they di with my glasses? I’m going to need them for all that.” She asked nervously.

“No, I don’t. I’ll make a few calls, but their most likely gone. But we can get you a new pair tomorrow. We’re going to a department store that’s close by, you’re going to need clothes and essentials.” He told her.

“I don’t have any money, Oliver.”

“We’re as good as married, Felicity. I may not have access to the Queen money right now, but I have a very nice Bratva account. Don’t worry about it.” He assured her.

“Okay.” she nodded. “So, what do I need to know?”

“Have a seat.” Waved at the chair in front of her.

Her education as a Bratva wife was about to start.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bratva Ceremony mostly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though I have several Russopontian relatives, i have never attended a Russian Orthodox Wedding Ceremony. I have attended all of the receptions, though, and they involved A LOT of Vodka. So, this is a result of research and my knowledge of Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremonies, adjusted to a situation like Oliver and Felicity's. I went a little old school on it, because I feel like the Bratva would too. Though plan on Oliver being a more of a modernist later on. I hope you like it! Let me knoe what you think and stay safe!

Oliver surprised her. She had expected a ruthless and cold mobster, but he wasn’t. He was respectful and fairly considerate. She could tell that he had been through hell since the boating accident, but she didn’t feel like it was her place to ask, at least not yet. He had been patient with her every time she asked questions about the Bratva and what he was teaching her.

He took her shopping as promised and let her buy anything she wanted. Felicity for her part tried to get comfortable, mostly sports leggings as far as pants go, and warm clothes. She got a couple of outfits for going outside and of course pajamas, socks, slippers, underwear, and a pair of boots. They went to a grocery store, too, and he told her to get what she needed.

The apartment was small. It had a small kitchen with a table and two chairs, a single bed, which Oliver insisted she takes, a sofa, that served as Oliver’s bed too, a coffee table, an old dresser, and a small bathroom. She was weirdly relieved to know that there was a laundromat, well the Russian equivalent, two blocks from them. Oliver spent a lot of time doing Bratva things, so that kept him away from the apartment. He had said that he was working on building his inner circle, for when he would take over as Captain in Starling City, because yes, he was planning on going home. And soon.

Felicity for her part spent most of her time planning, mostly daydreaming about her life as a Bratva wife. She had to spend most of her time inside the apartment because she didn’t know Russian and she didn’t know the area, which according to Oliver was not the safest for a woman walking alone. So, she stayed inside, though she always tagged along when Oliver was going to the grocery store or to do laundry.

She had taken to cleaning since she came to live with her future husband. It kept her busy and she felt productive. She wasn’t a clean freak, but the apartment she had to call home for the foreseeable future was sketchy and ick.

She was thankful that she had grabbed some bleach and general cleaners when they had gone shopping. She had started with the bathroom cleaning it top to bottom. Oliver had been amused, at least she thought so the guy had one hell of a poker face when he had come back and found her balancing on a stool trying to clean the bathroom’s lighting fixture. He startled her and lost her balance, but she found herself in a pair of strong arms.

“Careful” he had said, and Felicity hadn’t blushed more in her life.

From then on, Oliver was a permanent fixture in her dreams. And not all of them were platonic. Oh, no. Au contraire. And every time he caught her daydreaming, Felicity turned in to a tomato, because more often than not, she was undressing him. In her imagination, of course.

The only truly awkward and uncomfortable instance was when Natasha, Anatoly’s wife, came over to teach them about the traditional Bratva wedding they were going to have. All the higher-ups were going to be there, and Anatoly was going to be the equivalent of the best man. The ceremony was going to take place in an Orthodox Church.

Felicity’s dress was going to be made by one of the Bratva seamstresses and it had to be modest, long sleeves, no bareback. Her shoes had to be either white or red and she had to wear a red sash around her waist over her dress, too. A veil was nonnegotiable. Oliver had to wear a black suit, a white shirt, and a red tie.

Their wedding rings were to be worn on their right ring fingers, that wasn’t just a Russian thing, the Balkan people wore their wedding rings like that. The groom was in charge of the rings, and the bride was to see them on the wedding day.

She liked the symbolism behind the ‘crowning’. Some people used replica crowns for that, but Felicity thought it was tacky, and Oliver nodded in agreement. They decided to have the simpler versions; two circlets with a simple design, joined together by a thin and long piece of lace (Natasha said that was the Greek version, but perfectly acceptable).

Natasha said that she was going to take her the following day to get her measurements and start on the rest of the preparations. The wedding was taking place in a month. That freaked Felicity out a little. Okay, a lot.

Felicity was getting restless, being cooped up all day in the tiny apartment. Oliver returned one day with a laptop for her and honest to god she almost kissed him. However, she did hug him and didn’t budge when he flinched. She realized that the only human contact he had in years was violent, but she was a touchy person and he had to ease into it. Even if they weren’t going to truly be a married couple. Plus, she liked feeling his hard muscles under her hands.

The day Natasha came to take her wedding shopping, Oliver gave her the equivalent of four thousand dollars in cash, to get what she wanted for the wedding. Felicity tried to protest, but Oliver was more stubborn than her.

Natasha was like a strict aunt. That’s the only way Felicity could describe her. She took her to the seamstress, who took her measurements and gave her a short variety of dresses to choose from, and choose the only [design](https://www.kleinfeldbridal.com/product/maggie-sottero-lace-v-neckline-long-sleeve-ball-gown-wedding-dress-terry/) with lace because the others seem too heavy to her. The dress and the sash were going to cost one thousand five hundred American dollars. Felicity paid it outright, to have one less thing to worry about.

Natasha took her to an expensive department store next. She was fairly uncomfortable because it was expensive and way above any budget she ever had. Until her eyes found them. Her [shoes](https://www.pinterest.cl/pin/320107485994754399/). They were satin and red, a beautiful red, and had risen gold leaves on the heels. They were gorgeous. High-priced but perfect. And she got them. She also got a two-tier [veil](https://www.lightinthebox.com/en/p/two-tier-lace-applique-edge-bridal-wedding-veil-chapel-veils-cathedral-veils-53-petal-scattered-bead-floral-motif-style-splicing-lace_p6629539.html?category_id=1861&prm=1.4.1.1) with lace details. Natasha even made her buy contact lenses and some make-up for the ceremony. She was expected to do her hair and make-up herself, so she added the appropriate products in her cart, using mostly drugstore products she knew and used before this mess. She even got two shades of lipstick, because she loved lipstick, so she got one red for the wedding (not too flashy) and pink for everyday use. Their last stop was for white underwear, and Natasha wouldn’t budge. She had to wear proper white underwear under her dress.

By the time Felicity returned to the apartment, she was exhausted. Oliver asked her how it had gone, and Felicity told him all about her day, glossing over the underwear section. She still felt guilty about how much money she spent on the shoes, but Oliver told her not to worry about it. She stored the boxes with the veil and the shoes under the bed, where they would remain until the wedding.

Oliver had picked their [rings](https://www.monopetro.com.gr/shop/veres/veres-xryses/%CE%BD%CF%85%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%B2%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%85-%CF%87%CF%81%CF%85%CF%83%CE%B5%CF%82-%CF%83%CE%B5-%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%87%CE%B5%CE%B4/) that day and asked if she wanted to know about them, to which Felicity said no. she’d wait for the ceremony.

The next day, they went to a store and picked their [crowns](https://www.velissaria.gr/product/1578/) together.

Felicity spent her days codding. Her new laptop was a good one, but she missed the power of her computers. Well, she had to make do with what she had. Occasionally, Oliver would ask her to find something for him and she did, with a lot of help from a translation program she had written. She still did not speak Russian.

And that’s how their wedding day rolled around. Natasha had come the day before to take her to another house because she wasn’t supposed to see the groom for 24 hours. The safe house they were using was a little roomier than the apartment she shared with Oliver; it had one bedroom and an actual living room. Felicity was going to stay there for the night and in the morning Natasha would return with some Captain wives to prepare her. Well, mostly to watch her as she prepared herself.

Felicity didn’t sleep all that well that night. Russia made her nervous, especially when Oliver wasn’t with her. As a result, she was up one hour before Natasha arrived, drinking some crappy coffee.

At ten o’clock, the door opened and the ladies spilled in, dressed in floor-length gowns, in vibrant colors. At least none of them wore white, she thought. Because even if it wasn’t how she was going to marry, it was still her wedding. She didn’t think she would care, but she did.

Natasha introduced them all, she truly did her best to remember all the names and then they started signing, while Felicity got ready. She wore a white satin robe Anya had given her, with the word Bride written on the back with rhinestones, because she didn’t want to offend her more than anything. She started with her makeup, she went for a more tame look because she was planning on wearing red lipstick; she did her base and added a little bit of blink on the inner corners of her eyes, she put on a modest pair of fake lashes, she put on eyeliner, blush and a little bit of highlighter. And of course, her red lipstick. It was her favorite 24-hour stay brand, too.

She applied a couple to her hair, before starting curling it. She went for the loose curls look. It was something she could do, and it looked nice on her. And when she was done, she almost emptied the whole bottle of hair spray on herself. It was a little unnerving to do all that with a dozen women watching her every move and singing in a language she did not understand.

They helped her into the dress, buttoning up all three gazillion buttons on her back. Natasha fastened the sash around her waist and one other wife slipped her shoes on. they helped her up and then Katarina, at least she hoped that was her name, put her veil on.

Anatoly knocked on the door moments later. It was time to go. They pulled her towards a waiting car, that had white flowers and ribbons on it. Natasha and Anatoly sat on either side of her on the back and they were off to get her married.

The church was near the safe house. It took them ten minutes to reach it. And there were a lot of people waiting outside for them. And that didn’t help her anxiety, not even a little.

Anatoly helped her out of the car, and with his wife in tow, they started walking to the church, a large white building with gold domes. Oliver was waiting at the top of the steps for her. He looked handsome in his black suit. The jacket hugged his shoulders perfectly and the fabric was stretched over his muscular arms. She bet his ass would look fantastic, too. _Get a grip, Smoak. It’s not like he is yours._

She steadily walked up the steps and when they reached Oliver, the two men exchanged some words in Russian. Oliver looked at her then, and something passed through his eyes. Before Felicity could figure it out, he cleared his throat and offered her the bouquet of white and red roses he was holding.

“You look beautiful,” he said in such a low voice, that Felicity almost thought she imagined it.

Before she had time to respond, the priest had them join their hands and pulled them inside. Just in time, too, because Felicity had started to shiver from the cold.

The church had truly high ceilings and the walls were all covered in saints; one side had the females and the other the males. The craftsmanship was beautiful. However, she noticed that there were no seats, as the priest showed them to the holy table. Well, it’s not like the bride could go and have a seat.

The ceremony was long. So long. And she didn’t understand a single word. Oliver would tell her when she needed to know something, like when it was time for the rings. Oliver had chosen a pair of simple gold bands, not too thick. On the inside of hers, she managed to get a glimpse of a tiny emerald and Oliver’s name. she thought there was a date inscribed, too, but she had to confirm it later. She liked her ring; it was simple and elegant.

After they had been crowned, they had to walk around the holy table a few times, with Anatoly holding the crowns on their heads. It was a little awkward because Anatoly was shorter than Oliver. But Oliver never let go of her hand, and even if that was part of the ceremony, she felt better. She probably read too much into it.

And then, it was time for one thing she hadn’t taken into account. The ‘you may kiss the bride’ part. Felicity froze in place when Oliver told her, but a squeeze on her hand had her turning towards him. He lowered his head and the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, on a soft kiss. A soft kiss that had her knees go weak and her lips tingling. She tried not to blush. She failed. Big time.

When the ceremony was finally over, after what felt like eons, they exited the church and the guests started throwing rice at them, lots and lots of rice, and Felicity had to use Oliver as support because stepping on rice on heels, was a fall waiting to happen. She was happy when they finally made it to the car.

“What now?” she asked.

“Now, we are going to the safe house you stayed at, to pick up your things. Then we will return to the apartment for a couple of hours. We have to attend the reception at Anatoly’s house in the afternoon.” Oliver explained.

“Reception?”

“More like a party than a reception, but yes.” He nodded.

“So, I have to wear this all day?” she pointed at her wedding outfit.

“Natasha said you can take the veil off, but yes.”

“Great.” She groaned.

Their stop to the safe house was brief. Felicity had made sure her things were packed before she got into the dress. Oliver carried them to the car and then they drove another fifteen minutes to the apartment.

In the apartment there was a pile as tall as her of boxes and gift bags. “what’s all that?” she asked.

“Wedding gifts,” Oliver told her as he was putting down her things.

“Really?” her eyebrows almost disappeared to her hairline.

“Yeah. It didn’t open any. I thought maybe you’d like to do it.” He shrugged.

“Do you want to do it together? I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to.” She babbled as she took off her shoes.

“Do you want to eat something first?” he asked from the kitchen, silently accepting her invitation to do something together.

“I would kill for a burger right now, but probably not a good idea when I’m wearing a wedding dress.” She sighed.

“A cereal bar and a banana, then,” he said and brought their snacks over on her bed, where she was sitting, in a sea of tulle and lace.

“thank you.” She said and reached for the big box that said Ted Baker London. Inside she found the Highland suitcase set ([Large](https://www.tedbaker.com/row/Womens/Accessories/Bags/Travel-and-Luggage/HETTAA-Highland-large-suitcase-Black/p/244720-BLACK), [Medium](https://www.tedbaker.com/row/Womens/Accessories/Bags/Travel-and-Luggage/HEERLO-Highland-medium-suitcase-Black/p/244719-BLACK), [Small](https://www.tedbaker.com/row/Womens/Accessories/Bags/Travel-and-Luggage/HIELA-Highland-small-suitcase-Black/p/244718-BLACK), and the [Vanity case](https://www.tedbaker.com/row/Womens/Accessories/Bags/Travel-and-Luggage/HILO-Highland-vanity-case-Black/p/244717-BLACK)) “Oh, that’s nice.” She admired. She knew those were expensive, at least by her standards.

“I think that’s from Anya and Igor.” He supplied. “Anya is a firm believer that one should have proper luggage. Igor brought two boxes, I think the other is suitcases for me.” He picked up a gift bag next to them. That one had a bottle of expensive vodka.

They got a lot of alcohol. It was a mix of vodka and wine, with a couple of bottles of whiskey thrown in the mix. Felicity joked about opening a night club. They got some crystal bowls and vases, most of whom Felicity hated. Some of the wives had gotten her underwear, lace underwear, which Felicity just shoved behind her and wouldn’t let Oliver see them. Some people had gotten them towels, which yay useful! And some others had gotten them plates and glasses.

Oliver made her lie down after they were done with the gifts, while he picked up the wrappings. She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, Oliver was shaking her awake. It was time to go to the party. She touched up her makeup and hair quickly and then she followed her husband to the car.

Anatoly’s house was large, manor large. The celebrations had already started when they arrived. People were drinking, dancing, and singing. Natasha and Anatoly were waiting for them and they kissed both of their cheeks and welcomed them in the manor.

People cheered when they saw them, and everyone was offering them drinks. They were way too happy in Felicity’s opinion, but then again, if they had been drinking for the past two hours, it was probably because they were wasted.

She didn’t leave Oliver’s side for most of the night. Everyone seemed to want to talk to him, and even if she didn’t understand what the hell they were talking about, she felt better staying with the only sober person in the room.

The hours dragged by. She managed to talk a little with the less drunk wives and she even liked some of them. And she got a little tipsy herself, so much so, that every time Oliver would look at her, she would giggle like a schoolgirl. But it wasn’t her fault. The man was stupidly hot and even though he was a feared Bratva Captain with a reputation of being ruthless, Tanya had told her that, she had a little crush on him. And she mentioned he was hot?

It was well after midnight when they were allowed to leave. They drove in silence. What were you supposed to talk about with the man you were pretty much forced to marry, after your wedding reception thing, while you were a little drunk? And knowing her, she was going to put her foot in her mouth, so better not talk at all.

She never had been more thankful for living on the ground floor. She didn’t think she would make it up the stairs in that dress and drunk.

“I think I’m drunk.” She titled her head. She was standing close to her bed, while Oliver was locking the door behind them.

“Really?” he said and if Felicity was looking at him she would see the smile playing on his lips.

“Hm.” She nodded. “Can you help me with the buttons? I can’t reach them.” She asked turning over to him.

“Drink a glass of water first and then I will.” He nodded.

“But I’m not thirsty.” She frowned.

“You’ll thank me in the morning, trust me.” He said. She was adorable. Her brown curls were framing her frowning face perfectly. And the little cleavage that showed from the dress, drove Oliver crazy. _Get a grip!_ He scolded himself.

Felicity moved to the kitchen and did as he told her. Then turned to him to show him the empty glass.

Oliver caught himself smiling again. She had that effect on him. He hadn’t smiled in years, but ever since she came into his life, he caught himself smiling often. At least in the safety of the apartment. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and motioned for her to come. He carefully undid all the buttons, which was a feat in and of itself, and unzipped her, revealing her creamy skinny. It looked so soft to him and he had to pinch himself to keep from placing a kiss on her back.

“All done.” He said in a raspy voice.

“Thank you.” She smiled brilliantly at him, before disappearing into the bathroom to change.

She was going to be the death of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life of a new Bratva wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been thinking a lot about possible ways for Oliver to return to Starling and possible ways to introduce Felicity. I have some pretty interesting ideas, but I would love to hear yours, as well. I would also like to know what you want to see in the following chapters. At this point it's almost certain that there will be a sequel, so don't hold back! Leave a comment and stay safe!

The days following the wedding were busy. Well, for Oliver. He usually left early in the morning and returned just before midnight. That had Felicity worried. She didn’t know how the mafia worked, but it didn’t seem normal to her. He asked him a few times if things were okay, and his answer did nothing to assure her.

On their first outing as a married couple, to the grocery store, Oliver casually draped his arm around her shoulders and with a fake smile on his lips told her to play along because they were being watched. They spend the trip holding hands and exchanging fake uneasy smiles. And from then on, they did that every time they were in public. And truth to be told, Felicity liked holding his hand. She loved it when he put his arm around her. And she melted every time he kissed her temple. His lips felt so soft against her skin and Felicity wanted to taste them. She had to restrain herself every time he leaned to kiss her temple so that she wouldn’t turn and kiss him on the lips. But she wanted, oh how she wanted.

She spent the first couple weeks after the wedding trying to teach herself to cook. It’s not like she had anything else to keep her occupied. She had burned a few dishes, but she was getting better. She managed to make nut-free pasta pesto. Oliver was truly surprised. It was the one day he came back early, and Felicity liked to think that she saw pride in his eyes.

But whatever was going on in the Bratva, it was escalating. She could see it in her husband’s eyes. He was more worried by the day. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent and the worry lines on his face had deepened. That had her feeling anxious. And she did not like that.

That night, Felicity was on her bed snuggled in a blanket, watching Criminal Minds. She had finally managed to download a few seasons, using the crappy Wi-Fi they had. Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan always made her feel better and she loved Penelope Garcia, even if she cringed at the ton of the inaccuracies that came out of her mouth.

It was well after midnight and Oliver had yet to come back. So, she waited for him, trying to distract herself with serial killers. Granted, not the best idea seeing as she still felt uneasy and she couldn’t go to sleep if Oliver wasn’t home.

It was nearing one in the morning when he finally entered through the front door. “What are you doing up?” he asked tiredly.

“Couldn’t sleep.” She said softly.

“Listen, I need to talk to you about a few things, but first I need a shower.”

“Go, there should be more than enough hot water.” She nodded, taking him in. He looked exhausted. He had left around six that morning and only now returning.

Oliver grabbed some clothes and went to shower. Felicity was on high alert. Something bad was going on. something dangerous. A thousand scenarios passed through her mind. What if something happened to Oliver or her. Or worse? What was she going to then? she was in a foreign country, practically alone.

She came back to reality when she heard Oliver coming out of the bathroom. He wore a pair of sweats, but no shirt. It was the first time she saw him without a shirt. There were scars littered all over his torso and the Bratva tattoo on his chest, but Felicity didn’t care about those. No, she was focusing on his abs. very nice abs.

“Thanks” he chuckled softly.

“Did I say that out loud?” she blushed red, her eyes wide in embarrassment.

“You did.”

“Frack.” She cursed. “W-What did you want to talk about?” she cleared her throat.

“There have been some discrepancies within the brotherhood.” He started. “The supporters of the old regime have been causing trouble. A lot of it.”

“Oh. So, do you want me to take away their money?”

“You can do that?” he asked surprised. He did not expect that answer.

“Yeah, and they will never be able to trace it. Or I can have them thinking that someone else did it. You have no idea what I studied at MIT, do you?” Felicity cocked her head.

“No, not really.”

“Computer Science and Cyber Security. And I may or may not have been a hacktivist. But don’t ask me about those days. Things ended badly. Anyway, I can take away all their money and blame it on someone else.” She babbled.

“Can you create an off-shore account, one that only the two of us will know about?”

“I can.” She nodded.

“Alright, I will give you the names of the men and you will do your thing, but no one is to know about this, okay? Not even Anatoly. We should keep a few secrets for ourselves.” He looked her in the eyes.

“I won’t tell a soul.” She promised.

“Okay. Some of the wives want you to join them for a shopping trip tomorrow. It’s essentially a power play. They want to see if I can provide well for my wife. It’s important for them to get the impression that money is in no way an issue.” He explained.

“Is it? An issue, I mean.”

“No, it’s not. Don’t worry. I’m going to give you a gold credit card. It’s connected to one of my off-shore accounts. Go crazy with it. And I will give you your Russian papers.”

“I didn’t know I had Russian papers.” She frowned.

“I had them made for you.” He looked at her and she understood what he meant. He had them forged.

“Right-o. Can I get a phone? I mean, we have no way of contacting each other if something happened. I would feel so much better if I could call you. Especially now with those disturbances.” She said in one breath.

“You can buy whatever you want.” He assured her. “I would feel better if I could contact you, as well. Also, when you are in public and I cannot be with you, one of my inner circle will be with you. I wouldn’t put it past them to try and hurt you.”

Felicity blanched at that. “You think they will try to hurt me?”

“They will try, they won’t succeed.” He said firmly. “Lyla is very good at what she does. She is ex-special forces. She will be your new best friend, at least until things calm down.”

“Please tell me that she speaks English.” She whined a little.

“She’s American, don’t worry.” He chuckled.

“Oh, thank god. Is that it?” She asked because she was itching to send him to sleep.

“Yes. Lyla will be here tomorrow at ten-thirty. She will knock four times.” He said and reached for his coat. He pulled out an envelope and gave it to her. Inside she found a set of keys, probably for the apartment, a gold credit card, a fake Russian ID, and a passport. “That’s it.”

“Thanks. Now, you look exhausted and you will get up before the sun, again. So, bedtime.” she said as strictly as she could.

“Good night, Felicity.” God how she loved the way he said her name.

“Good night, Oliver.”

As always, Oliver was long gone by the time she got up. The oven clock told her that she barely had one hour before Lyla arrived. She jumped in the shower and then dresses in her public appropriate clothes; a pair of black jeans, a red jumper, and a pair of black leather boots. She made coffee and had a banana with it before she made their beds. She pulled her hair in a ponytail and applied light makeup.

The four knocks came as she was putting the things Oliver had given her in her bag. She opened the door a sliver and found a woman in her thirties standing on the other side. She wore a black suit with a white shirt and boots with a low thick heel. Her brown hair reached her shoulders. “Hello?”

“I’m Lyla Michaels, Mrs. Queen.” She said politely. “I believe your husband told you I will be accompanying you?”

“Yes, please come on in.” she opened the door to let her in. “I’m sorry, I just had to make sure.”

“It’s alright. Better safe than sorry.” She smiled politely. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I am.” She nodded and took her keys.

“I have the car waiting for us.”

Felicity had a weird sense of accomplishment when she locked the door behind her. She followed Lyla with a smile on her face. Lyla opened the back door of the SUV for her and she got on the driver’s seat.

“We are meeting the others in the most expensive department store in Moscow.” Lyla provided. “I thought you should prepare yourself.”

“Oliver said it’s a power play.”

“It is. And you need to show them your power. Shop like there is no tomorrow.” She said. “Oliver gave me strict orders that you are to buy whatever you like, no matter the price tag.”

“you might need to remind me that again,” Felicity said.

“I will.” The other woman nodded. “We’re meeting Olga, Tatiana, and Svetlana. Their husbands are doing their best to undermine yours and those ladies have been trying to get into his pants since they met him.”

“They what?” she was fuming suddenly. How dare they treat her husband like that? “They’re toast.”

“Hm, and Oliver was afraid of telling you.” She was amused.

“He was?” she frowned confused.

“Yes, but I thought you could do with a little more motivation.” She chuckled.

They spent the rest of the trip with Lyla giving her information on the trio and their husbands. And Felicity liked them less and less by the minute. They reminded her of her high school tormentors.

Felicity came face to face with three blondes that she could only describe as high maintenance. They looked like they had just stepped out of the hair salon and all three wore furs. Felicity sincerely hoped that they were fake.

They were overly sweet, reminding Felicity of Janice Carter the Cheerleader Captain from her high school. Not a very good thing. She was almost glad they didn’t speak good English.

They started with shoes. All the top designers were literally at their fingertips. And those shoes were beautiful. Well, most of them. Some were ugly.

Felicity started off looking around, she wasn’t planning on getting shoes. But then she saw them; a pair of [Valentino heels](https://www.harrods.com/en-gr/shopping/valentino-valentino-garavani-patent-so-noir-pumps-100-14917025). And that was it. She forgot all about her inhibitions about spending Oliver’s money. That pair was the first. She got more, this time Jimmy Choo’s; a pair of [nude pumps](https://row.jimmychoo.com/en/women/shoes/pumps/love-100/black-patent-leather-point-toe-pumps-with-jc-emblem-LOVE100PWJ010003.html?cgid=women-shoes-pumps), a pair of [black pumps](https://row.jimmychoo.com/en/women/shoes/pumps/love-100/black-patent-leather-point-toe-pumps-with-jc-emblem-LOVE100PWJ010003.html?cgid=women-shoes-pumps), and a pair of [glittery pumps](https://row.jimmychoo.com/en/women/shoes/pumps/romy-100/platinum-ice-dusty-glitter-pointy-toe-pumps--ROMY100DGZAA0582.html?cgid=women-shoes-pumps).

and that was it. Lyla didn’t need to remind her to show power. Felicity shopped until she dropped. Literally. They were at it for almost four hours when they decided to call it a day. Felicity had gotten some nice outfits, some incredible silk kimonos she loved, and a bunch of other things. Plus, she got a new phone and air pods. And she had more bags than her companions. She was pretty sure she’d spent more money, too. But then the other wives begged off and after some overly polite and giggly goodbyes, they left.

“Oh, thank god.” She groaned. When they were far enough.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Lyla asked.

“I enjoyed shopping, their company not so much. They reminded me of my school bullies.” She shrugged. “How did I do?”

“You were great,” Lyla assured her. “The boss man checked in a couple of times, to make sure you were okay.”

“My feet hurt a little, but I’ll live. So, you don’t happen to know a burger place, do you?”

“I do.”

“Great! I’m buying us late lunch. I’m starving.” Felicity said.

“Come on, then.”

True to her word, Lyla took her to a nice little burger joint. The two women had burgers, fries, and milkshakes. They talked, well okay they gossiped, about Olga, Tatiana, and Svetlana, and Lyla told her all about the rumors that were going around the brotherhood about them. Felicity had a great time. she loved the girl time she had with Lyla.

They got back to the apartment around six-thirty, and after they managed to get all the bags inside, Lyla decided to stick around and watch Criminal Minds with Felicity as she had nothing else to do and their husbands were together. She shot a text to her husband to let him know that he was sticking with Felicity until Oliver was home. They arranged for her husband to come with Oliver, as Lyla had their car.

Felicity set up her phone, and Lyla gave her phone number to Felicity, along with Oliver’s and her husbands. Then they enjoyed several episodes of the BAU team. And Lyla was a fan of Derek Morgan as well. It was a match made in heaven.

Their husbands came in around eleven at night, both tired.

“Good evening, ladies.” Mr. Diggle greeted them.

“Hello, Oliver, Mr. Diggle.” Felicity greeted them politely.

“You can call me Digg, Mrs. Queen.”

“Felicity,” she smiled.

“Hi, Johnny. I found someone to share my Criminal Minds obsession with.” His wife greeted him with a kiss.

“Thank god.” He sighed relieved, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Lyla.

“How did it go?” Oliver came and sat next to his wife.

“I spent a stupid amount of money,” she waved her hand towards the shopping bags that covered half the floor, “but I think I did well. And it was all worth it because Lyla and went for burgers when the others left.”

“She did very well,” Lyla assured him. “Svetlana was jealous because her husband doesn’t let her spend so much money on one shopping trip.”

“That’s exactly what we wanted.” He nodded approvingly.

“Oliver, you should think about moving. This is a very bad neighborhood, especially since Felicity is alone most of the time for most of the day.” Lyla said sternly.

“I know. If things go well in the next couple of weeks, we will be moving to a safer place.” Oliver assured her. “This place was always meant to be temporary.”

Lyla nodded, “Good. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll take my husband home. I’ll see you tomorrow, Felicity.”

“Good night, Lyla, Digg.”

“See you tomorrow, boss.” The Diggles left.

“What did you think of the other wives?”

“It was high school all over again.” Felicity groaned.

“You didn’t enjoy high school?” he frowned.

“I was the awkward kid that talked a lot, skipped two grades, and was smarter than everyone else. What do you think?”

“So, they won’t be your new BFFs? Because that’s what they were hoping to achieve, among other things.”

“Nope, no, nuh-huh.” She shook her head. “I wanted to punch them.”

“I think you’ll enjoy bankrupting them more.” He said and took a piece of paper from his pocket. “The list I promised you.”

“Alright. I will start tomorrow. It will take a few days. It’s not a good idea to attack them all together and it will take some time to make the money untraceable.” Felicity accepted the list.

“Just let me know how it goes.” He nodded.

“I will now go have a shower. Have you eaten?”

They settled in a routine over the next several days. Every morning when she woke up, Felicity found Lyla sitting on a chair in the kitchen reading the paper, with a cup of coffee.

The first day was an anomaly because Felicity had to deal with all the shopping bags from the day before. She had decided to pack everything in her beautiful suitcases. But she followed her routine of washing up, getting dressed, having breakfast, and tidying their bedroom area before doing that. Lyla was a good person to keep her company for that task.

They usually saw a few episodes of criminal minds, before Felicity decided to experiment with another recipe. And Lyla was a great help for that. She even taught her a few things.

Felicity had created a couple of off-shore accounts and one by one, some times she did two at the same time, she took the money away from the people on the list. Oliver had told her that they were the core of the people from the old regime that caused their big problems and the only thing that gave them power was their money. Well, they could kiss it goodbye now.

Sometimes, when her cabin fever was dangerously high, Lyla would take her for a car ride. They had discovered a nice little park and they would visit it once or twice a week. They got out of the house to go to the grocery store, or the laundromat, too.

About a month after her shopping trip with the three Bratva wives, Felicity and Lyla were watching the third Harry Potter movie, when Lyla’s phone rang. Whoever it was said something that made Lyla jump from the bed with worry all over her face.

“Felicity, I’m going to need you to be calm.” She said firmly.

“What’s wrong.” She asked anxiously.

“One of the old regime people stabbed Oliver. Johnny is bringing him here.” She explained.

“Oh my god.” She gasped. One of her biggest fears was becoming a reality.

“Take a big breath, Felicity. It’s going to be fine, okay?” Lyla grabbed her from the arms, afraid that she’d fall.

“How can you know? I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to him! We may not be truly married, but I care about him! And-and …” her tears run ahead of her before she could stop them.

Lyla pulled the younger woman in her arms and held her tightly. “Nothing is going to happen. He will pull through, I promise you, Felicity. Oliver is strong and stubborn. You’re not getting rid of him that easily. Okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded on her shoulder. A few moments later Felicity pulled back. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Now, we’re going to need clean towels and probably boiled water as well.”

“Right. There are hand towels on the first drawer on the dresser.” She told Lyla as she went to the kitchen a filled their largest pot with water and put it on the stove to boil.

Not long after, Lyla got another call and rushed to open the door. Two men were supporting Oliver, one of them was Digg, and a woman was right behind them, arms full of medical supplies.

Lyla told them were to put Oliver and Felicity grabbed the towels for them. The new woman attached a heart monitor to her husband and Digg worked fast to stop the bleeding. The blade had missed his stomach, thankfully.

The next half hour was nerve-wracking for Felicity, as she watched them work on saving Oliver. They had produced a bag of his blood from somewhere, too, and Felicity felt dizzy. It hit her suddenly how bad things were. She felt herself being pushed gently down a chair. Looking up, she expected to see Lyla, but it was the new woman, whose name she had to learn because it felt rude to call her ‘the new woman’ even in her head.

“He’s going to make it,” she promised in a steady and sympathetic voice. “I’m Zari, by the way.”

“I’m Felicity, nice to meet you, though, I wish the circumstances were better.” She said softly.

“You, too. Are you okay? You looked a little green for a moment.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s Oliver I’m worried about.”

“Don’t be. Diggle knows what he is doing.” She assured her.

“How did it happen? Do you know?”

“Yes,” she sighed, “you have probably noticed the power struggle that’s happening, right?”

“Oliver has said a thing or two, but lately he only comes here to sleep, so I don’t know a whole lot,” Felicity replied.

“One of the old Captains lost his position and he blamed Oliver for it. He has been making threats for a couple of weeks, but his wife left him and took all the money with her. He was waiting for Oliver tonight. He wanted to stab him to death, but he didn’t take into account that Oliver is a very strong man and that we were with him.” Zari told her.

“What happened to the man?” she was curious, only because she wanted him to pay. Maybe she could find a couple more ways to make him pay, more creative.

“He’s sporting a bullet between the eyes.” She shrugged.

“Good.” She heard herself saying. And it scared her. Not necessarily that she said it, but that she said it with ease. She was glad that a man was dead, but that man almost took Oliver away from her. Her husband. Her only family. Because yes, she still had a mother, but she was never a mother to her, not truly, and yes, their marriage was a solution for both their problems, but damn it all Oliver was more a family to her than anyone else had been in all her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, Zari is Zari from the Legends of Tomorrow. Because I love her! You should be on the lookout for another familiar character in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been thinking a lot about possible ways for Oliver to return to Starling and possible ways to introduce Felicity. I have some pretty interesting ideas, but I would love to hear yours, as well. I would also like to know what you want to see in the following chapters. At this point it's almost certain that there will be a sequel, so don't hold back! Leave a comment and stay safe!

Felicity sighed as she sat on a chair next to Oliver’s sleeping form. It had been only a few minutes since Digg, Lyla, Zari and Nate (the other man supporting Oliver) had left. They were reluctant to do so, what with Oliver being unconscious and his attack, but in the end, Lyla gave Felicity her back up gun and quickly showed her how to use it. Felicity also promised that if she felt any sort of uneasiness that she would call them immediately. Zari and Nate also gave her their numbers and reluctantly they left for the night, with the promise that one of them would come by the next morning.

Felicity took his hand in hers, rubbing soft circles with her thumb. She was terrified that something would happen and by the time anyone came, it would be too late. And she wouldn’t be able to do anything to help him. If anything went alright that night, she would start doing some research on first aid tomorrow, and maybe ask Digg or Lyla to teach her. She hated being powerless. She sighed and got as comfortable as she could.

She picked up her phone and took notes of things she needed to do; medical training, ask Oliver if she could have things delivered, ask Lyla to properly teach her how to use a gun, ask for a weapon of her own. She didn’t want to be the helpless damsel in distress. She wanted to be able to handle herself.

She sighed and looked back at her husband. She liked calling him that. Loved it really. It probably had something to do with her crush on him. Ha! She had a crush on her husband! She was probably the only one having a crush on her spouse! Because that was her life now! She wanted to laugh, but she was afraid of disturbing him.

He was a little pale, but way better than how he was when they brought him. She had cleaned his handsome face from the blood and the dirt and now he looked so peaceful. She gently ran a hand down the side of his face and kissed his cheek. She wished she could have the nerve to do it when he was awake, too, but she was a chicken.

She remembered the touch of his lips, and even now she blushed at the memory of their one and only kiss. It was the best kiss she ever had. Granted, she wasn’t the most experienced in the romantic relationship department, but she had had a couple of boyfriends before, but they seriously paled in comparison to Oliver. One kiss from him and suddenly all the other kisses seemed sloppy.

She wondered how he would be in bed. Probably amazing. Shew knew the rumors from before the Gambit went down. The ladies were raving about him. They all wanted a night with him. And if his kiss was so wow, she could only imagine how amazing his sex skills would be.

She shook her head to chase away those thoughts. It wasn’t very likely that she would ever know about that. They weren’t together. They were married only to help their situations. She had to repeat that a couple of times in her head. And it pained her.

She sighed and picked up her phone again to play a game, not letting go of his hand. She had advanced a few levels before she felt him squeezing her hand. She snapped her head towards him and saw his blue eyes on her.

“Hey, how do you feel?” she asked the moment she realized that he was awake.

“Fine. What time is it?” he asked trying to seat up.

“Careful, if you tear your stitches, I don’t know how to redo them.” She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. For a moment she thought that he was going to protest but he laid back down.

“What time is it?”

“Uh, four seventeen.” She checked her phone.

“What are you doing up?” he frowned.

“You were stabbed, Oliver! I couldn’t just go to sleep! What if something happened? What if you needed something?” she sighed.

“Am I in your bed?”

“Well, yeah, we thought you would be more comfortable here.” She shrugged and felt him squeezing her hand, that still hadn’t let go of and Felicity wasn’t about to either.

“Well, I’m going to go over to my-“

“You are not going anywhere, Oliver Jonas Queen. You will stay right there and rest. I’m fine right here.” She said firmly.

“Felicity, that’s a very uncomfortable kitchen chair.” He said deadpanned.

“Oliver you’re sleeping on the bed tonight and I’m not leaving you alone, end of story.”

“In that case, we’re sharing.” He said and rolled to his side.

“Oliver, no. you’re injured!” she protested. “I’ll be perfectly fine.”

“Felicity, get in the damn bed.” He said firmly.

Okay, that was hot. And Felicity felt herself standing from the chair and getting in bed with her husband. And not in the way she would ever imagine. Nope.

She laid down next to him on her side, with her back to him. “If you feel any discomfort, tell me.”

“I will now go to sleep.” He said softly, his arm snaking around her waist and Felicity didn’t know if she should be ecstatic or horrified. Okay, she was so excited. And she was blushing. Thank god, it was dark. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Had she been awake, she would know that Oliver never let go and he slept better than he had in years, even before the Gambit. And when he woke up, with his wife in his arms, he allowed himself to smile. Because truth to be told, ever since she came into his life, he felt lighter. She was a breeze of fresh air.

The next morning, Oliver woke from the knocking on the door. He sat up, wincing as he pulled on his stitches. “Coming!” he called.

He looked down at Felicity and kissed her forehead, before getting up. He walked to the door, picking up the gun on the table, that he recognized as Lyla’s back up. He opened the door partially and came face to face with the Diggles.

“Good morning, boss,” Lyla said.

“Come on in.” he opened the door widely for them.

“How do you feel man?” Digg asked him.

“Better.” He said sincerely.

“And does that have anything to do with the sleeping lady in the bed we put _you_ on last night?” Lyla raised an eyebrow.

“It had everything to do with her,” Oliver said looking at her sleeping form. “Make yourselves at home. I’ll be right back.” He moved to the bathroom.

“They are both idiots,” John told his wife.

“Oh, I know.” She sighed exasperatedly.

The couple moved to the sofa to wait for their boss. Lyla thought it funny that Felicity hadn’t even stirred. Oliver didn’t take long in the bathroom and stopped in the kitchen to get the coffee maker going.

“Any news?” he asked as he joined them, sitting next to Felicity.

“Anatoly said that you are staying home for the next three days. It’s an order, too. And now it’s not the time to push him.” John said.

“I know.” He almost rolled his eyes.

“Other than that, things are relatively quiet,” Lyla said. “So, how about moving?”

“I had hoped that when we moved, we would be able to move to the place I plan on having as my base of operations in Russia.” Oliver sighed, “But since they are getting bolder, I was thinking about moving to a safer apartment until the house I want is mine.”

“Well, you can start looking when Felicity wakes up. No time like the present.” John grinned.

“There is an apartment available in our building.” Lyla offered.

“That might not be a bad idea.” Oliver nodded, thinking. “We’ll ask Felicity when she wakes up.” He reached pushed the hair back from her face.

“How did she end up in bed with you, anyway? When we left, she was pretty adamant that she was going to _sit_ by your side all night.” Digg grinned.

“I woke up around four and I saw her half-asleep on the chair, she protested, but I told her that she was either sharing with me, or I was getting up to move to the sofa.” He shrugged.

“Oh, boy. She was terrified last night when I told her what had happened and especially so when she saw you covered in blood.” Lyla said. “I’m glad she got some sleep.”

“Me, too. How did your back up ended up on my coffee table?” He asked returning the gun to her.

“We didn’t want to leave her alone with you out of commission, but she insisted we all needed to get some rest, so we compromised. I showed her the basics and left it with her.” She returned the gun to her ankle hostler.

“Thank you.” He said sincerely. “Zari and Nate came, too, I assume?”

“Yeah, your ass is heavy, and we needed someone to carry the supplies,” John told him.

“Zari was good for Felicity last night,” Lyla said.

“Yeah?”

“You were losing a good deal of blood and when we started you on the bag, I think it hit her hard. She looked unsteady on her legs and Zari had her on a chair before I could and she stayed with her, distracting her. I think they hit it off.”

“I didn’t want to worry her.”

“It’s not like you asked to be stabbed, man.” John rolled his eyes.

Felicity stirred next to Oliver and he turned his attention to her. She was so relaxed. Oliver had never seen her this relaxed, in the short few months, he knew her. And he found that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. That made him oblivious to the smiles the Diggles exchanged.

“Hey,” Oliver said softly when she opened her eyes.

“Hey” she hummed and then her eyes opened wide. “What are you doing up? You should be resting.” She sat up.

“I am resting. For the next three days, I won’t be going in. I haven’t had this much rest in years, don’t worry.” He assured.

“But-“

“Don’t bother, Felicity. It’s a lost cause.” Lyla chuckled.

“Oh, good morning Lyla, Digg.” She smiled at them

“Morning, Felicity. Was he a good patient?”

“So and so, John. So and so.” She said with a teasing smile. “Is that coffee I’m smelling?”

“Yes, it should be ready in a minute.” Her husband nodded.

“I’ll go wash up, then.” she dragged herself out of bed. She grabbed some clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

“You don’t drink coffee.” John narrowed his eyes. “The only reason you have a coffee machine is that the rest of us do.”

“Yes, but Felicity likes coffee.” He shrugged.

They filled him in on the events of the previous night, after he passed out, both from Lyla’s and Digg’s POVs. The bastard’s body had been left in a certain place, with an arrow through his chest (Oliver’s symbol only known within the brotherhood, even postmortem) to send a message. Whoever messed with the American Captain would end like that.

“How do you feel?” Felicity asked rejoining them with four mugs, one tea for Oliver three coffees for the rest.

“I’m much better, don’t worry.” He said softly.

“We were talking about you two moving out of this place.” Lyla directed the conversation.

“Oh, if the place has a proper wardrobe, I’m all in,” Felicity said.

“How would you feel, if we were to move in the same building as John and Lyla?” Oliver asked his wife casually.

“I think that would be great. It’s not like I know anyone in this place.”

“Yeah, that’s for the best.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t have the best neighbors.”

“I’ll call the super and arrange for you to see the apartment.” Lyla stood and went to the kitchen to make the call.

In the end, she managed to book than to see the apartment that very same day. They had enough time to eat breakfast and get ready before it was time to go. The car ride took about twenty minutes. The neighborhood was so much better than theirs. Cleaner and tidier. An older man met them at the entrance of the building and took them to the fourth floor to show them the place.

The apartment was a 2-level three-bedroom unit. On the first floor, there was a kitchen, living room, dining room, a small bedroom, and the guest bathroom, which had a washing/drier machine. The second floor had the master bathroom, the two larger bedrooms, and a small balcony. The living room had one wall with built-in bookcases and cupboards underneath them and the wall with built-in shelves creating a nice place for a TV. The apartment was comfortable and bright.

“I like it,” Felicity said after the tour.

“We’ll take it then,” Oliver said and turned to the man. They

spoke in Russian, but Felicity assumed that everything was in order when they shook hands.

“When can we move in?” Felicity asked.

“He’s giving me the keys, so whenever we get some furniture,” Oliver told her. “The apartment we’re staying came with the furniture.”

“I don’t suppose there is an IKEA in town?”

“There is. Where do you think we got our furniture from?” John piped.

“Great.”

  
The Queens returned to their apartment and Felicity forced Oliver to the bed. He started protesting, but then she sat next to him with her laptop and he shut up. They spent a good portion of the day browsing and shopping for furniture. Felicity arranged for them to be delivered to the new place and by the time she was done with that, Oliver had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

Oliver mostly let her get what she wanted, but she would occasionally ask for his opinion. They only got the basics, as Oliver was planning on having them move into a secure property as soon as possible. Felicity got them both double beds and nightstands, they got a kitchen table with four chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table. They got some kitchen essentials, too. They had some sheets and towels they got as gifts from the wedding, but Felicity got them new quilts and pillows.

Oliver promised her that they would go shopping the following day to get a tv and some other appliances they would need. Then Felicity forced a pain killer into him and left him to sleep, while she packed up the apartment, which granted didn’t take too long.

By the time Oliver’s ‘sick leave’ was over, they were moved into the new place and all the furniture was assembled.

The morning Oliver was finally going back in, he lingered a few moments in her doorway, watching her sleep. She seemed a little more relaxed since they left the old place. Maybe they should have moved sooner, it’s not like money was a problem.

He went to leave, but something stopped him. He turned back towards Felicity’s room and approached the bed. He gently pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her temple. Then he was ready to go.

  
Felicity was steadily working her way through the list Oliver had given her. Their offshore accounts had accumulated _a lot_ of money. Like, a lot. And they probably weren’t anywhere near the amount the Queen accounts held, but frack, that was a lot of money.

She was currently on the kitchen table with her laptop. Oliver had come home half an hour ago, dismissing Lyla from guard duty. She was lost in her thoughts, so much so that she was startled when she saw Oliver in front of her.

“Oliver!” she jumped.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“it’s okay, I wasn’t paying attention.” She shook her head.

“I noticed.” The corners of his mouth lifted just a bit. “Listen, do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Before my father died, he gave me a notebook and told me to right his wrongs. To help the Glades that he failed.” He said, producing a battered notebook.

“The Glades?” she frowned.

“It’s a part of Starling City, the poor part. People have been targeting the people of the Glades, stealing their money and their homes. So, they turn to violence. I want to correct that.”

“Okay” she nodded waiting to hear the rest.

“This notebook is filled with the names of the people that are responsible. Can you help me?”

“I think I can, but I will need more power than my laptop.” She nodded.

“That’s why I gave you the card, Felicity, to buy whatever you want. And they make deliveries here.”

“Oh, good, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.” Her face lit up. “What else do you want me to do to them?”

“Well, return the money you can to the people they were taken from and then, relive them from the rest of it. If you can help the authorities to arrest them would be amazing, too. I also want you to buy whatever property is available for purchase in the area.” He replied.

“Okay, I think I can do that.” She nodded taking notes. “I will need to create an offshore LLC, I think. Any preferences for the name?”

“Verdant.”

“I knew you liked green.” She said under her breath.

“I do.” He said, making her blush.

“I’ll just order some things, then.” she cleared her throat.

“It can wait until tomorrow. It’s late.”

“I’m usually the one saying that.” She cocked her head.

“Yes, you are. Now, bedtime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, people! Zari and Nate are the characters from the Legends of Tomorrow! I love them, I had to have them!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't see that one coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even if I didn't expect it to take that turn, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even if it is a little shorter than normal. As always, I love reading your opinions, so don't forget to leave a comment. They make me write faster.😉😉😉 Stay safe! 😘😘😘

Within the week, Felicity had all the parts she had ordered, and then she had spent one whole day putting the computers together. Oliver had found her asleep on the floor of the smallest bedroom that she was going to use as an office. She was sprawled on the floor. Half under the desk, holding a small screwdriver. And she had a strong grip. It took some doing for Oliver to pull it from her hand. He placed it on the desk and picked his wife up, bridal style, and took the stairs to her bedroom. He placed her gently under her covers and kissed her cheek. And then he kissed her lips. He just couldn’t help himself. she hummed in her sleep and for a moment, Oliver was afraid that she was awake. But she just cuddled in her pillow, with a smile on her face.

Maybe one day he would have the balls to kiss her when she was awake.

Things became quite hectic within the brotherhood the following weeks, but Lyla had assured her that things were looking up. The two women had become good friends, a good thing, too, as they spent their days together, usually inside the Queen apartment, but some days they would be at the Diggle apartment. But ever since they moved neighborhoods, they went out more. Recently they had visited a new tea shop that opened a couple of blocks from their building and Felicity found a love for Lady Grey tea.

As for her work, Felicity had started on the notebook as well. She picked names at random and dealt with them. She found everything she could about them and sent it to both local authorities and the FBI for good measure. Then she returned what money she could to those they were taken from and wired the rest to Verdant’s accounts. And then she started buying all the properties that were for sale, one by one. And they were cheap, especially compared to the rest of the city. In two months, Verdant own one-third of the Glades.

Lyla spent an hour or so every day, teaching her some basic medical skills as per her request (and Oliver’s approval). Oliver for his part had stashed an arsenal of weapons, okay she was exaggerating, around the house. Zari had shown her how each one worked, just in case she needed to use one.

By mid-March, they had settled in a new routine. Oliver would leave early in the morning, but he usually came home earlier than he used to, now that things were settling down. Felicity would find Lyla, or sometimes Zari, already in there when she woke up. They would chat while she had breakfast and then Felicity would go on with her routine of washing up and putting on some comfy clothes. Then she would air the apartment, make their beds, and wash the dishes. She would work for a couple of hours or talk her body woman of the day into watching a movie. She was working her way through the Marvel movies with Lyla and the Harry Potter series with Zari. They usually had salads or sandwiches for lunch and a few hours later Felicity would work on dinner or order pizza. Sometimes they would have dinner all together; Her and Oliver, Digg, Lyla, Zari, and Nate (Felicity suspecting that something was going on between those two). And she liked those days. Those people had become her family. And she never had family dinners growing up.

“Felicity?” Oliver called one night.

“Yes?” she took her eyes from her screens and looked at him.

“We’re having a family meeting tomorrow night, here.” He told her.

“Oh, okay. I’ll stay away from the main house. I have work to do, either way.” She offered.

“No, you’re joining us for the meeting. You’re the matriarch of the family.” Oliver said firmly. “I was just letting you know.”

“Oh, right.” She said a little awkwardly. Matriarch? What was that supposed to mean? What was she supposed to do?

“We should all be here around eight.”

“Okay.” She nodded “Uh, how many people?”

“The Diggles, Zari, and Nate.” Her husband said, then turned and left.

Felicity sighed. In the last few days, she had noticed that Oliver was more distant, colder. It was probably the stress of the last few months finally catching up to him, but Felicity couldn’t help but feel a pinch in her heart every time.

She shook her head and returned to her work. _He doesn’t feel anything about you, Felicity. Get over it._ She fell asleep on her desk that night, working herself to sleep, not wanting to think about her loveless marriage, and how she carved a little love.

However, she was confused when she woke up in her bed the next morning, with Lyla leaning on her doorframe. “Any idea why he is in a mood?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Lyla. It’s not like he is talking to me, either than the absolutely necessary.” Felicity said bitterly and she could feel the tears crowding her eyes. She buried her face in her pillow and willed them away. She was not going to cry. She completely missed the look on Lyla’s face.

Felicity spent her day in front of her computers, barely taking her eyes off the screens. Lyla had to drag her away to eat something and have some water. She powered them off four hours before the meeting was to start and went to the kitchen. She prepared three platters of finger foods and then disappeared into the bathroom. She showered and washed her hair. She dried her hair and put it in a sloppy ban until it was time to style it. She pulled the dress she wanted from her wardrobe and put it on the bed. It was wine red with a boat neckline and reached a couple of inches above her knees. She found her black Jimmy Choo’s and some gold accessories.

She put on the dress and did her makeup. She worked on her base, first. Nothing too heavy, and then applied some feline eyeliner in black. She picked a lipstick that matched her dress perfectly and sprayed some perfume on herself. She straightened her hair and curled them at the ends. She put on her accessories and shoes. Looking at her phone she realized she still had thirty minutes until the others were to arrive and decided to go downstairs and join Lyla.

“Dressed to impress?” Lyla teased.

“Well, it’s my first family meeting.” She shrugged. In truth, she wanted to exact a little revenge on Oliver. He probably wouldn’t care, but she had to do something. And maybe it was childish, but hey.

“In any case, you look amazing.” Lyla winked at her.

“Thank you.” She blushed a little. “Hey, do you know what I’m supposed to do as matriarch?”

“Yes, but let’s save it for tomorrow. It is a long talk.” She said just as Oliver walked through the front door.

It was almost comical to see his face when his eyes landed on his wife. His eyes widened and his irises darkened, as he took her in. His jaw clenched, and Felicity thought that he may break something. She bit her cheek to keep from babbling.

“Oliver,” she said as coldly as she could manage.

“ _Felicity_ , Lyla.” He cleared his throat, trying to pull himself together.

“Hello, Oliver.” Lyla looked at him hard.

“I’m going to grab a shower; the others should be here soon.” He said and left the two women heading upstairs.

“Essentially, you are the boss lady of the family,” Lyla said. “And this” she pointed at her indicating what had happened the last minute, “is a great start. Someone needs to remind him that he is not Thor.”

“God of thunder?” she frowned.

“Almighty,” Lyla explained.

And Felicity laughed. “I love you!”

Little did they know that Oliver heard that last bit and it was like a bullet to the heart that those words were not directed at him.

Thirty minutes later they were all seated in the living room. Zari had gushed over her dress and winked at her. Digg and Nate had politely complimented him and she thoughτ that Diggle had glared at Oliver, but it was probably her imagination playing tricks.

It was time to start planning their return to Starling. Well, not Oliver Queen’s public return, but rather Bratva Captain Oliver Queen’s return. The local Captain was finally retiring, and Oliver was going to ascend in his place. So, they were flying to Starling in two weeks to start the transition. They had to find a house for their base and see what renovations it needed and do them. Then Oliver also wanted to find construction companies to start on his plans or renovating and building the Glades, plus he had to see what the current Captain had going on. and attend a mob gala. Awesome.

And when Felicity asked what he was planning for Oliver Queen’s return, her loving husband growled at her. And Felicity felt all her confidence leaving her. Well, screw you, Oliver, she thought.

She tuned them out after some time, they were talking about the logistics of the whole thing, and the details of the house. She didn’t care. She wanted to punch Oliver, which, yes, it was going to hurt her more than him, because the man was pure muscle, but still. She thought they had a good thing going on. they weren’t spouses, in the true sense of the word, but she thought that they were sort of friends and she liked that. She loved that. But evidently, she was wrong. So, wrong. And it hurt.

Bloody Oliver.

It was almost midnight when they called it a night. Felicity hugged them all goodbye, and Zari asked her quietly if she was okay, to which she shook her head, her eyes trailing to her husband, who had his back to her, talking with Nate. Zari understood. She promised to drop by tomorrow for lunch and with another hug, she left. Lyla gave her a knowing look, and sent a glare to Oliver’s back, before following her husband to their apartment. Nate followed shortly after them.

Felicity didn’t even look at Oliver, passed him, and went to the living room, picking up the dirty dishes. She dumped everything into the sink and, again ignoring Oliver, she went upstairs to get ready for bed. She gently took off her shoes and her dress and wrapped herself in hew black silk kimono with blue and silver flowers, before going to the bathroom to take off her makeup and to her skincare. When she got out, Oliver’s door was closed. And for some inexplicable reason, Felicity felt her anger rising.

She changed her route and went down to the kitchen and picked up a bottle of red wine she had picked up during her last grocery shop and a glass. Then she went to bed. With her laptop.

The next morning Lyla found her in bed with a half-empty wine bottle on her nightstand. She wasn’t impressed, but she understood. Zari came over for lunch- they ordered pizza as Felicity had a hangover from hell- and they had some girl time. Zari asked her what was wrong the night before, but she regretted it when she saw Felicity fighting her tears as she told them both about the changes in Oliver.

They were all in agreement: Oliver is an idiot.

  
The next two weeks were spent in a vicious routine, for the most part. Felicity would spend her days working on the lists Oliver had given her, with Lyla keeping her company even if she didn’t know what she was working on. Zari joined them when she could, and they had lunch together. Felicity had taken on wearing only her silk kimonos. She felt like a small victory every time Oliver saw her in one and got that weird look on his face. She couldn’t explain it, but he looked like he wanted to punch something. It was the only reason she didn’t wear her yoga pants and T-shirts. She pretty much ignored him otherwise and only talked to him if he talked to her first. Immature? Maybe.

The only aberration of this routine was the day Felicity had gone shopping for the gala. She picked a [red dress](https://gr.pinterest.com/pin/320529698459326640/), which Lyla approved, a pair of [Jimmy Choo sandals](https://row.jimmychoo.com/en/bridal-boutique/bridal-collections/bride/lance%2Fpf-100/platinum-ice-dusty-glitter-fabric-strappy-sandals-LANCEPF100DGZAA0582.html?cgid=bridalboutique-bride), and a matching clutch. Lyla had said that it was a killer outfit.

Zari and Lyla had practically taken overpacking for her. They had put in all her silk nightgowns and their matching kimonos and all her more feminine outfits that showcased her curves. Yes, she had to try them on to be approved.

And then the day of the trip arrived. And Felicity honestly dreaded spending eighteen hours in an aircraft with Oliver giving her the cold shoulder, which granted she returned. At least, it was a private jet and they wouldn’t be alone. And she had downloaded three seasons of Castle to watch.

But she had to get up _early_. She got ready, figure-hugging jeans with a white shirt and a pair of comfortable flats and took her luggage downstairs and had a cup of coffee, all before Oliver came downstairs.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” Se said, not even looking at him.

John knocked on their door soon after. The men took their things to the car and Felicity was left to lock up the house. She took a deep breath and putting on her sunglasses she went downstairs.

She was relieved to see that Oliver had opted to seat on the front. Lyla and Felicity shred the back seat.

The ride to the airstrip was quiet. Not uncomfortable, at least not too much. Zari and Nate were already waiting for them. Zari looped her arm with Felicity’s, and they left the men to unload the car and dragged Lyla in the plane with them.

By the time the men joined them, the ladies were already on one of the sofas, watching the first episode of Castle. Felicity didn’t spare Oliver one glance for hours and she was pretty proud of herself.

However, by the time they reached Staring and got in the cars, Felicity was exhausted. She didn’t speak until they reached the hotel. Oliver had gotten separate rooms for Zari and Nate, but he got a suit for them and the Diggles because it had to at least look like they were sharing a bed, her and Oliver.

“I’m hogging the shower.” She told them the moment they entered the suit.

“I’m going next,” Lyla called her dibs.

Felicity opened her suitcase and grabbed a blue and black nightie with its matching long kimono and her vanity case, before disappearing into the bathroom. She didn’t take too long, but by the time she got out John and Lyla had gone into their room. Oliver was standing by the window and Felicity purposefully let her kimono opened, showing the short piece she was wearing under it.

She went about like Oliver was not even there, even though she could feel his eyes on her. She knocked on Lyla’s door to let her know the shower was free and then, still ignoring Oliver, she grabbed her laptop and climbed on the bed. Two could play the game, Mr. Queen.

They had room service all together that night and Oliver assigned both Zari and Lyla on Felicity for the duration of their trip. And that was great for Felicity’s plans. She booked a pampering day the day of the gala for the three of them and then she planned on having fun when she wasn’t required to be seen with Oliver to this thing or the other. She had plans for the following day including the zoo and ice cream. Of course, she had to meet with the broker first and tell him what they were looking for. Oh, well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gala and Oliver being Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to know what you think about this chapter. I felt every single emotion Felicity did writing this and I even got a little teary-eyed at the end. And what do you think about Dino the dinosaur? (You'll understand after you read the chapter) As always, let me know what you think, and stay safe! 😘😘😘😘😘

Felicity was at the broker’s office at nine o’clock, waiting for his assistant to call her. The office was sleek and modern, with a great view of Starling’s skyline. Black and white were the dominant colors, though Felicity wasn’t a big fan of that. It was cold, in her opinion.

“Ms. Smoak, please come on in.” the woman said and showed her to her boss’s office.

Felicity nodded at her and entered the office with Zari and Lyla behind her. “Good morning, Mr. Hart.” She said pleasantly.

“Good morning, Ms. Smoak, ladies.” He nodded at them. “Please have a seat. What can I do for you?”

“My _husband_ ” okay it hurt her a little to use that word with his recent behavior, but she was a big girl, “and I are looking to buy a house.”

“Well, you are in the right place.” He chuckled and pulled out a notepad. “What are you looking for in your home?”

“We want privacy, that’s the number one priority. We want it to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Wine cellar, that’s a must, and generally a basement. I don’t want it to be too classic, I like modern design, but not too futuristic. It needs to have multiple bedrooms, at least two offices and I would like a pool. If it has one of those fancy coffee taps, I would be happy. And the walk-in-closet will be either deal maker or deal-breaker. And it would be greatly appreciated if the property could accommodate many cars, as in more than three or four. Any cool features like secret rooms and underground tunnels will be a bonus. I always wanted to have those at my house. Oh, my husband would appreciate it if there was a vault or a safe, but that won’t be a deal-breaker.”

“I see,” he wrote all that down. “And what price range are we talking about?”

“We don’t have a limit, but I would like to stay under sixty million dollars. Though if it is the dream house, I am willing to go over that.”

“Very nice.” He nodded “I will compose a list of properties and I will contact you this evening.”

“Wonderful. My husband is very busy, so he will be joining us after I have narrowed down the list you will make.” Felicity said pleasantly.

“I understand, of course.” Mr. Hart smiled politely. “Is there anything else you want to add?”

“A gym would be nice” Lyla added. “Mr. Smoak likes to work out.”

Right, she knew she was forgetting something.

“Most of the Mansions have gyms nowadays.” He said. “I have several properties in mind, I’m sure we will find the perfect one for you and your Husband.”

“Excellent.” Felicity smiled tightly. “I will be waiting for your call.” She stood and shook hands with the man.

“Of course, have a nice day,”

And a nice day she had. They went to the zoo because Felicity had never been before. They had a wonderful time. Felicity especially loved the giraffes; they were beautiful and playful. Every time someone tried to take a photo of them, they would pose like models. It was awesome. They even went for ice-cream. Felicity got herself a pillow with a beautiful giraffe on it from the gift shop.

By the time they got back to the hotel, the broker had emailed her a list of ten properties, they had a photo and a short description attached. Felicity skimmed through them and made an appointment to see some of them the following day.

That night, they had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. It was certainly fancy, and Felicity certainly enjoyed the very expensive wine, but she would have preferred burgers and shakes. However, with the dress she had chosen, she had to be careful about what she ate. It was unforgiving.

Felicity spent the next three days touring Mansions. They were all brilliant and expensive, but none of the first nine clicked for her. Of course, the last one would. It was a mega-mansion, selling for sixty-two million five hundred and thirty thousand dollars. It had a long driveway, after you passed the gates, with a parking lot to the right that could accommodate up to sixteen cars. The main building consisted of five floors. The basement had a beautiful wine cellar (and all the wine came with the house), an entertaining room that had an actual bar, pinball machines, a beautiful pool table, and three bowling alleys among other games, the basement hosted on of the three vaults which were the largest of them at six feet tall four feet wide and two feet deep, hidden behind a wood panel. And it had a home cinema, a very luxurious home cinema that could accommodate twenty people and it also had a snack bar, which included a cola machine and a popcorn machine. The basement had also a sauna and a jacuzzi. Felicity didn’t know those were things people put into their homes.

The next floor had the kitchen, the pantry, the chef’s kitchen and pantry, the staff quarters, the formal dining room, the family dining room, the sitting room, and the two home offices, away from each other, and each had one vault considerably smaller than the one on the basement in it hidden behind wood panes that integrate into the wall. Both offices had one was that was made completely out of glass but could turn opaque with the push of one button. It was pretty cool. In what she thought as Oliver’s office there was a hidden bar, that emerged from the bookcase with the click of a button. And her office had a hidden bathroom. Throughout the house, the wall that was facing the outside pool was made of glass making the house bright and airy. And Felicity loved that. But what she loved, even more, was the actual dinosaur from the Jurassic era that was on the foyer.

On the back garden, there was a beautiful infinity pool surrounded by custom made wooden sunbeds. There was a patio area that was sporting a full outdoor kitchen with a grill and a pizza oven. The area was circled by outdoor furniture. Further down there was a glass farmhouse, perfect for hosting parties according to the broker. And a little further down was a guest house. It was a two-level building, not too small. The basement was empty, but the first floor has a sitting area, a nice kitchen, a dining room, a comfortable bedroom, and a bathroom. Maybe they could use that for the less nice Bratva business if needed. On the back of the guest house, there was a nice basketball court.

They returned to the main house and went to the second floor, which sported a fairly large gym, five en-suite guestrooms, and a masseuse room. Then there was the gift-wrapping room.

The third floor had the master suite that included a ginormous bedroom that had a fireplace and a sitting area, an enormous bathroom that was three times her dorm room, and an incredible and sleek walk-in closet. It had two separate lightings, one was white light and the other was a warmer tone, with medium brown walnut cabinets in a modern design, that had glass doors and two islands to store accessories, it also had an area with a vanity and lighting mirror that would be perfect for doing her makeup. It also had a chaise longue with a side table. It was amazing. This floor also had a master bedroom, it was a nice sized bedroom with a large bathroom and a smaller walk-in closet, at least compared to the one in the master suite. There was also another en-suite bedroom. The master’s also had beautiful balconies that led to the terrace.

Finally, there was a four-car garage and it was attached to a storage room. Well, it was too big to be a room, but that’s what the broker called it. And did she mention that the main house had a freaking elevator?

Felicity loved it. Seeing the look in her eyes, Lyla called Oliver and told him about the place and she may have exaggerated a bit about how the other places were not what they needed, whereas this one even had a separate building for their _business meetings_. Oliver said that he was on his way to see it, along with the boys.

“I’d by the house just for that walk-in-closet in the master suite,” Zari said, as they waited for Oliver by the pool.

“That dinosaur is a pretty good selling point, too. It’s so cool?” Felicity said putting on her sunglasses.

“True.” Lyla and Zari said together.

“I like the pool,” Lyla said. “The hidden bathroom is pretty cool, too.”

“I really, really like this house. The others were just fancy, this one is cool.” The Captain’s wife said.

“And it has plenty of space for cars.” Zari added. “that’s a good thing. Once we relocate our car collection is going to grow.”

“W doesn’t have a car collection at the moment,” Lyla told her, “We’re renting the cars from Anatoly.”

“True.” The raven-haired woman shrugged.

They stayed silent for a few minutes, until Lyla’s phone rang, with John’s face popping on the screen. “Break’s over ladies, they are here.”

They spent another hour and a half walking around the Estate showing the guys, well mostly Oliver but the others were interested as well. They were all surprised by the dinosaur, but Nate especially was ecstatic. John loved the entertaining room and especially the bar portion of it. Oliver seemed almost impressed with the hidden bar in the one office. He even cracked a joke when they were touring the master suite. “Do you think you think it will fit your clothes?” he had said when they reached the walk-in-closet.

And Felicity didn’t know how to react, because Oliver hadn’t joked with her in months. “We’ll see.” She glared at his back. Idiot.

Felicity could have sworn that the moment Oliver decided they were buying the house was when he saw the basketball court. His eyes widened for a moment, and if she hadn’t been looking at his face, she would have missed it. He pursed his lips together and said “Nice”. Truth to be told all the other mansions had tennis courts. Apparently, rich people were big fans of tennis. Who knew?

“Is this your pick?” Oliver asked her in a purely professional tone, that made her want to yell.

“Yes, it is, _sweetness_ ” she gave him a fake smile. His right eye twitched as if he wanted to flinch. _Good_.

“We’re taking it, then,” he told the broker.

“Wonderful! I will have the papers ready for you the day after tomorrow and after that, you can move in whenever you want. The furniture comes with the house.”

“Good, give my wife a call when they are ready. I have another meeting soon. I need to get going.” He said. “I will see you tonight.” He said and did something that Felicity did not see coming. He kissed her cheek. After months of the cold shoulder -which she did not deserve by the way- he kissed her cheek. She felt her temper rising but bit her cheek and forced a smile.

“Good luck” she gritted, and Oliver, John, and Nate left. “Do you accept wire transfers?” she turned to the broker.

“Of course, of course.” He nodded eagerly.

“Great.”

  
when they returned to the hotel, Felicity ordered a bottle of wine and a whole lot of fries, she changed into a pair of comfortable pajamas -because yes it was one of those nights she craved comfort since she couldn’t have love- took her laptop and sat on the suit’s balcony.

She proceeded to watch half a season of Castle drinking wine and eating fries, until the wee hours of the night. At some point, she heard Lyla yelling at someone, but she didn’t pay it any mind. She wasn’t in the mood to care. Because bloody Oliver gave her fucked up signals and she didn’t know how much she could take in silence. Before she went to bed, Nate forced her to drink a big glass of water. Her husband was nowhere in sight. She sighed and went to bed. She didn’t care. Or so she kept telling herself.

  
Felicity spent the next five days designing the security system for the manor. Every room was going to have tiny security cameras and only she was going to have access to all of them. There was not going to be a thing that was going to be happening that she didn’t know about. She was going to install microphones, too. Maybe not in the bathrooms though. She was going to build a server, too. And then she was designing a series of alarms to incorporate in them. She had Zari ask Oliver what features he required in the security system because she was not going to talk to him unless he was. And then John put his two cents in. she was going to install tablets all over the house to access the lights and the system as needed, creating various levels of clearance. She was proud of her design.

The only break she took from coding it was to go with Oliver to sign the papers for the house. She was surprised when she saw her name on the deed too. She looked Oliver in the eyes, but she still didn’t say anything. On their way to the car he informed her that when Oliver Queen came back from the dead, they would need to make the change in name in the deed. That’s a whole big sentence he said to her. Wow, she was impressed. Please, note the sarcasm.

On the day of the gala, the ladies had a whole day booked at the top spa of Starling. They got massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and had their hair done for the occasion. Felicity made the transition from brunette to blonde. And she liked it, so much.

“You look amazing, boss.” Zari grinned.

“It suits you.” Lyla nodded in agreement.

“Thanks.” She grinned blushing. “We should get going. We only have three hours before we have to leave for the gala.”

The spa was close to the hotel and they were back quickly. The men were still out doing god knows what, so the ladies barricaded themselves in Felicity’s room to get ready. They barely heard them coming in, not that they truly cared. They were big boys; they could tell the time.

Zari had picked a light blue empire waist flowy dress and golden sandals and Lyla had gone for a black one-shoulder A-line silky dress with silver pumps. And Felicity had her red form-fitting dress and champagne glittery sandals.

“I will enjoy watching Oliver blowing a casket tonight,” Lyla smirked when Felicity had finished with her make up. She didn’t do anything heavy, but she did use a perfect red lipstick.

“Please, you have to be the last to get out. I want to see his face.” Zari begged.

“So, I look okay, then?” she asked a little shyly.

“Okay? Felicity, you look hot.” Zari cocked her head.

“He won’t know what hit him.” Lyla agreed, putting on her earrings.

Five minutes later, they were all done. Zari joined the boys first, followed by Lyla. A few minutes later, Felicity got out of the bedroom and she couldn’t help looking at her husband. And then she had to bite her cheek to keep herself from grinning. Oliver was looking at her intently, his eyes dark and his brows frowned. His hands had clenched into fists and the vein on his forehead was popping. It was a priceless picture. Of course, the fact that he looked sinfully good in his tux only added to the picture.

“You look beautiful, Felicity,” John said and then glared at his boss.

“Thank you, John.” She smiled brilliantly at him.

“We’re going to have the most beautiful women on our arms tonight.” Nate grinned and offered his arm to Zari. Okay, seriously something was going on with those two. “Nice hair, by the way.”

“You’re not so bad yourselves.” Felicity teased. “And thank you”

“We need to get going” was all Oliver managed to say, his voice hoarser than usual.

Lyla caught her eye and winked. This was going to be a long night, but she may as well have some fun with it.

A limo was waiting for them and they got in, in pairs. Oliver was stiff next to her the entire ride and he looked relieved when they arrived.

The please was a typical American manor. Classic. And a little overdone, in Felicity’s opinion. The party was in full swing by the time they arrived. Oliver helped her out of the car and then placed his hand on the small of her back, his hot skin against her exposed back. She fought the shiver that threatened to run down her body. She put on her most charming smile and let him guide her inside.

Oliver introduced _his wife_ to a bunch of people, and she did her best to remember them all. And then Oliver started rubbing his thumb against her skin, Felicity wanted t melt against his touch, but she wouldn’t. she was going to hold her ground. But what bothered her the most were the flirty looks he got from other women, married and not, even if he seemed to ignore them. She would lay a hand on his arm or lean against him every time she caught someone giving him hungry looks. And it probably drove him a little crazy, but he drove her crazy, too, so she wasn’t going to take any pity on him.

Lyla had a grin on her face the whole night, and it unnerved Felicity a little.

By the end of the night, Felicity had had three glasses of champagne, so she had no problem at all leaning against her husband or teasing him. She took a lot of joy from making him stiff -not like that! She means she enjoyed having him standing stiffly next to her because she was teasing him. Of course, she made sure to eat and drink water in between, so that she would remember every moment of the night. Oliver didn’t know that. And he wouldn’t find out for a few months.

That’s probably why he did what he did. Because she thought that she wouldn’t remember.

Toward the end of the night, Oliver took her outside, at the garden on the side of the house, and pushed her against the wall. He placed his left hand next to her head against the wall and his right on her hip.

“What are you doing, Oliver.” She narrowed her eyes, trying not to get her hopes up.

“You’ve been teasing me the whole fucking night.” He said in a low voice. “With that dress, the new hair, your touches. You have been driving me crazy. I have been trying to restrain myself, but you won’t let me.” He growled. “But you won’t remember any of this in the morning, so maybe I can finally indulge myself a little.”

“ _I_ ’m the one driving _you_ crazy?” she asked incredulously, “What about you, Oliver? At first, you were so nice and friendly and then you turned into a cold bastard, treating me worse than you would treat your secretary. You would probably treat her way better actually. You’ve been giving me the cold shoulder for months! You only talk to me when it is absolutely necessary! What did I do, Oliver? What? From the first moment, I’ve been trying to do my best, to be a good little wife! What did I do?” she couldn’t help the tears that escaped her. She didn’t care. It was about time he heard it.

Oliver looked in her eyes for a moment and Felicity couldn’t breathe. And he crashed his mouth against hers. He kissed her hungrily, seeking entrance with his tongue and when Felicity opened her mouth to allow him in, their tongues battled frantically. His hands were traveling up and down on her sides and Felicity planted hers on his arms.

They broke apart, only when they needed oxygen.

“You didn’t tell me what I did to make cold towards me.”

“You didn’t do anything, Felicity! I’m the problem! I’m a monster! I’m dangerous and I do not want to dim your light!” he exclaimed.

“Then why kiss me?”

“Because I wanted to since the day I met you! And you won’t remember it. And it pains me, it pains me too much! But I won’t do that to you. You’re too pure.” He cupped her cheek.

“Did you ever thought that it was my choice?” she asked softly.

“There is no choice to make, Felicity. I will not let my darkness consume you. That’s why I gave in tonight because you won’t remember it tomorrow.” He said in a raspy voice.

“You’ve said that. Why do you think I won’t remember the best kiss of my life, Oliver?” she glared at him.

“You’re in your fourth glass of wine.” He said simply.

She wanted to tell him that she will remember, but she didn’t. she wanted to see how he would act going forward. “Let’s hope that you are right, Oliver. Because I don’t think I will cope if I remember this and then have you being a cold-hearted bastard.” She said wiping away her tears. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself.

“I’m sorry, Felicity.” He said and Felicity believed him for some crazy and unfathomable reason.

“Yeah.” She turned her back to him and started walking back to the house.

The party started to die out soon after and after saying their goodbyes, the group took the limo back to the hotel. Felicity disappeared into her room the moment she could, feeling Lyla’s worried eyes on her back. But she just needed to get out of that dress. She couldn’t deal with anything else other than getting ready for bed.

She took the dress off and handed it outside of the wardrobe with her shoes underneath it. She took off her jewelry and all the pins from her hair. She threw her kimono on and then slipped into the bathroom. She took her makeup off and brushed her teeth, avoiding looking at the mirror.

She found Lyla waiting for her when she got back to her room. “are you okay, Felicity?”

“He kissed me. He gave me the best kiss of my life. He only did it because he thinks that I won’t remember it in the morning.” She sighed resigned.

“I’m so sorry.” She pulled her in her arms. “Men are idiots and Oliver is the biggest of them all.”

“Yeah, he is.” She nodded pulling back. “Go get some rest, Lyla. You deserve it.”

“Do you want me to stay with you? Johnny will survive sleeping alone one night.” The older woman assured her.

“No, go to your husband. I’ll be fine.” She assured her.

“I will hit him extra hard the next time we train.” She promised.

Felicity chuckled beside herself. “Just don’t hurt yourself.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” she winked. “Good night, Felicity.”

“Good night Lyla.”

When the door closed behind her, Felicity put on her comfy pajamas and slipped into her bed. She cried herself to sleep that night.

She never knew that Oliver came to her room and sat with her, holding her hand, apologizing.

“I love you, Felicity.” He whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a tiny bit of fluff fellas!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, here you go. This one didn't flow quite like the others. It gave me a little trouble, but I think I managed. As always, let me know what you think, and stay safe!

Understandably, Felicity was not in the best of moods the next morning. As the events of last night weren’t enough, that idiot of a husband of hers had to haunt her dreams, too. To say that she was grumpy would be an understatement. She got up and joined Lyla and Zari in the living room.

“Morning, Felicity. Do you want to order breakfast?” Lyla asked kindly.

“Yeah, I want donuts and whatever you want.” She replied and went to the bathroom.

“Oh, something bad happened last night, didn’t it?” Zari turned to the older woman.

“Let’s just say that Oliver is an idiot whom I want to shoot. I don’t know what exactly happened, but when we got back, she practically flew to her room.”

“Awesome. As if things weren’t tense enough between them.” Zari shook her head and got up to order breakfast.

Thirty minutes later, they were having breakfast around the living room. “He kissed me last night. It was the best kiss of my life, too.”

“He did?” Zari said taken aback.

“Only because he thought that I was drunk, and I wouldn’t remember it.” Felicity looked at her donut.

“But you drank double the amount of wine in water and you ate those finger foods.” The raven-haired woman realized, “Oh, he’s an idiot.” She groaned.

“The biggest of idiots.” Lyla corrected her.

“So, now what?”

“I don’t know. I truly don’t. I asked him why he’s been acting like an ass, what did I do to him. And you know what he said?” Felicity looked at them.

“What?”

“That I didn’t do anything, that he is the problem. That he is dangerous, a monster and he doesn’t want to dim my light.” She closed her eyes, willing the tears away.

“Oliver and his man pain.” Lyla rolled her eyes.

“He said he was sorry, too.” Felicity sighed.

“Sorry? I’ll show him sorry! Next week we have training with him. He will be sorry then!” Zari exclaimed with blazing eyes. She was all for the two of them getting together, all four of them were.

“Amen sister. And the line forms behind me.” Lyla said and the two women high-fived.

“So, now what?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know!” Felicity exclaimed. “I’m in love with that idiot! And I don’t know what to do about it! I don’t!”

“I do,” Zari said confidently. “You are going to make him regret saying those things. It’s time for revenge.”

“Revenge?” Lyla raised her eyebrows in question.

“Yes, revenge. He is an idiot, so we are going to show him the errors of his ways. We will make him suffer.” She nodded.

“Zari is right. Revenge it is.” Felicity nodded firmly.

“Well, this ought to be fun.” Lyla grinned.

“Operation drive Oliver crazy is a go.” The blond grinned evilly. “He won’t know what hit him.”

For the next three days that they were in Starling, Felicity completely ignored Oliver. She didn’t even spare him a glance, which granted was a lot harder than she thought, but Lyla said that it was annoying him.

On the plane ride back to Moscow, Felicity mostly sat on an armchair, away from Oliver, coding the security system for the Mansion. She only put away her laptop when Lyla glared at her to eat.

When they were finally at their apartment, Felicity took things to another level. Oliver started his old routine of coming home only to sleep, however, this time around Felicity didn’t wait for him, well she did but Oliver didn’t know that. She was in her room with a closed door. Lyla and Zari took shifts being with her, as one couldn’t spend eighteen hours protecting Felicity alone. So, whoever was on shift when Oliver got home would tell him that felicity had gone to sleep, but she had left food for him in the kitchen if he was hungry.

For a whole two weeks, Felicity hadn’t seen Oliver or spoken to him. John had told Lyla that Oliver had been in an unusually bad mood since they had returned from Starling. Stage one, success.

It was time for stage two. Felicity was always awake and at her desk when Oliver came home, only she was always wearing short and lace nighties that barely covered her. She always let the door to the office open but never looked up from her screens when Oliver would stand in the doorway. He never spoke to her, but she could practically feel his eyes on her, and especially on her legs. She was proud that she didn’t blush once. That went one for another three weeks.

Only on his birthday, Felicity had gotten him a pair of cuff-links, they were rectangular with a green stone in the center, and she had wrapped them and left them on his night along with a Happy Birthday card. The next morning, she found a rose on her nightstand with a little card that simply said ‘thank you’.

One evening, Oliver came back earlier than usual. Felicity was wearing her favorite kimono and was on the sofa with Zari, watching a movie that had Felicity in tears, almost sobbing.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked when he saw her crying.

“Sometimes Oliver, a girl needs to feel a strong emotion, even if it has her crying. Because she needs to feel something.” Felicity said with an edge on her voice, not taking her eyes from the screen.

Next to her, Zari almost stopped breathing, waiting for Oliver’s response. He didn’t disappoint. He got a look-in in his face that showed a myriad of emotions. Regret and guilt were the two prominent ones. Then he looked as if he wanted to punch something, well beat the crap out of something. Zari could see him taking deep breaths to compose himself, and when she thought that he would man up and pull her in his arms, kissing her tears away,

“We’re leaving for Starling City in two weeks, pack whatever you want to take with you. I will take care of my things.” He said and left the room.

Zari wanted to facepalm, but instead, she moved closer to Felicity and pulled her in a hug, she was 95% sure that this new wave of tears had nothing to do with the protagonist of the movie dying and everything to do with Oliver being an ass.

Oliver told Zari to go home shortly after the movie had ended. She reluctantly did so but told Felicity to call her if she needed anything. Felicity for her part fell asleep on the sofa after another two movies. Oliver came looking for her and found him asleep, a sight that put a small genuine smile on his face. He gently picked her up and took her to her bed. She placed her gently on it and kissed her forehead. She would never know that Oliver slept next to her that night. Or that before he left, he kissed her again and told her he loved her.

Lyla came with a box full of cupcakes the next morning, but generally, Felicity spent the day in front of her computers. She wouldn’t have remembered to eat if Lyla hadn’t ordered pizza. She fell asleep on her computers, but she woke up in her room the next morning. She knew Oliver was the one moving her, but she didn’t know what that meant. Was that him being a semi-decent husband or something more? She decided not to dwell on it. If Oliver wanted to say something to her, he could very well use his damn words. He was a big boy. Though, if she was honest the thought of him gathering her in his arms and carrying her to bed made the butterflies in her stomach go wild.

She spent her final weeks in Russia packing and working on her computers. She might be at odds with Oliver, but that didn’t mean that she had stopped working on the lists he had given her. Well, the list. She had finished the first one.

The morning of their flight to Starling was cloudy. Felicity had risen early to get ready and make sure that everything was packed. She put on some comfortable clothes and a pair of sneakers and went downstairs to wait for the others. Lyla, bless her heart, brought her a nice cup of coffee and kept her busy while the men took their things to the cars. When it was time to go, Lyla made sure that Felicity was not alone in a car with Oliver.

During the trip, Oliver filled them in on some details, like the fact that they had ‘inherited’ the men of the retired Captain and some of his business. And then, he said that they had to through an event to welcome their new men and their families. Specifically, Felicity had to throw it. And also, Felicity had to set up their computers and communication systems. It wasn’t too difficult for her, the systems’ part, but Oliver didn’t need to know that.

“Well, in that case, _honey_ , I need my things from my mother’s home.” Felicity glared at him.

“Nate and I will be in Las Vegas next week, maybe we can swing by and pack your things to send them over.” Zari volunteered.

“Do that.” Oliver nodded.

“Thanks, guys.” Felicity smiled her thanks.

“I will need a list of the people we need to invite to the event, which includes spouses and kids. We’re doing something family-friendly.” She stated looking at her husband.

“You’ll have it by tomorrow night.” He nodded and then directed the conversation to the potential problems the Triad could make for them. And Felicity did not like the sound of it. She tuned them out and turned to her laptop to get some ideas for the event. She had never done anything like that before, hell she hadn’t even organized a birthday party, how was she supposed to throw a full-blown event? Maybe she should get an event organizer. Yeah, that would be a good idea. Of course, she would need to be careful, because Oliver was still considered dead. Huh, that would be tricky after all.

Maybe a picnic in their backyard would be a good idea. They could use the pool, too. It was a beautiful pool. They could rent some outdoor equipment to keep the kids busy. And they would need a team of chefs to cook because no way she was cooking for that many people. Not that she could. They could potentially use the pizza oven they had; she was excited about that one. If Oliver wasn’t being ridiculous, she would suggest that they had a family barbeque with the Diggles, Zari, and Nate. But Oliver was being ridiculous, so that plan went out of the window.

Maybe she would use it herself one day. But she was getting off-topic. She spent the rest of the trip researching the event. She had some pretty good ideas, and she was starting to enjoy the whole event organizing thing.

When they finally landed, Felicity was exhausted. Eighteen- hour flights were brutal, completely, and utterly brutal. And then they had to drive one hour to the Mansion. When they arrived, Felicity started going for the master suite but stopped herself. She had taken a few steps to the elevator when she realized that they hadn’t talked about the rooms.

“We haven’t talked about the rooms.” She said as evenly as she could.

“Take the master suite,” Oliver said without even looking at her.

“Right, okay. I’m going to go and settle down. Guys, pick any room you want.” She said to the others. She gave one last look at Oliver, well Oliver’s back, and then took one of her suitcases and left for her room. She was glad she got the master suite; she wanted that master closet, even though she didn’t have enough clothes to fill it. At least, not yet.

The master bathroom was pretty sweet, too. That’s why she decided to take a hot shower, to help her muscles relax from the long flight. When she finally got out of her huge shower, she dressed in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt, and her trainers. She pulled her wet hair in a French braid and went to her office, where there were a few boxes with parts for the security system, waiting for her.

She opened the boxes that housed the cameras and started cataloging them, noting which camera was going were. She spent the rest of the day working on that, only stopping to eat. The next morning, she found the guest list on her desk. They were hosting one hundred people. Great. She was glad that whoever put the list together thought about including the children’s ages, too. Being the matriarch of the family was going to be a lot of work, especially while Oliver was considered dead, which by the way she hated so much, and she couldn’t hire a lot of people to help in fear of recognizing him. Argh!

She spent the day making phone calls to vendors and catering companies. She booked tasting appointments with the latter for the next three days, while she had arranged for various sports equipment to be delivered for the picnic. And to top it all? She had to interview people to hire for the mansion. And she had no idea what to do because she never interviewed anyone. At least, the lawyers, that she had yet to meet, had prepared iron-clad confidentiality agreements.

She had been very busy the last few days, preparing for the picnic and working on the security system, which was almost ready, so much so that she had yet to unpack. So, she had decided to do that today.

All her things had been brought up to her closet, which was awesome by the way and had been waiting for her for days. After breakfast that morning, she decided to tackle that particular task. It was time to unpack. This task had started innocently enough. She started with her garment bags, organizing their contents around the room, then the clothes from the suitcases, and finally her makeup and hair products. It took her a few hours to do that. She organized her shoes three times until she was satisfied and by the end of it she hadn’t even filled 30% of the space, but that was okay.

But then, her eyes fell on the box that hosted her wedding dress. With a heavy sigh, she sat on her knees in front of it and opened. On the top, there was a photo of the two of them during their crowning during their wedding ceremony. It was a beautiful picture and even if they were a little awkward and stiff, she liked it. She set it next to the box and picked the wooden box with their wedding crowns. She ran her hand on top of it and put it with the photo.

She completely ignored the underwear and picked up the dress. It may not have been the dress she would choose to wear for her big day, and her big day may not have been what she had expected before her mother stole from the Bratva, but it symbolized her family. Because, yes, Oliver was being an idiot, a complete and utter idiot, but he was her family. The first person she considered her family. And they had a good thing going on, at least at first before he decided that he was too dangerous and a monster for her. She gave another sighed and ran her thumb over her wedding ring, something that surprisingly never failed to reassure her. Maybe it was silly, but it did. And she never took it off. And she wasn’t planning on it, either. That ring was staying on her until she died. And Oliver never took off his, as well. That had to mean something, right?

She put the dress back on the box with the sash and closed it. She took it and placed it on the bottom of the cupboard closest to the door. She placed the box with their crowns on top of the island that was closest to her and threw the underwear in an empty drawer. She would deal with them another time. The photo came with her to her bedroom.

The decorators had placed a nice mother of pearl and gold frame on one of the nightstands that were perfect for it. She placed the picture in it and took it downstairs to her office. She sat on her chair and put it on the right corner of her L shaped desk. Oliver may be trying to push her away, but she was not going to let him.

The day of the picnic dawned bright and early and Felicity was up even earlier to make sure everything was ready. The things she had rented had been delivered and placed the day before, and the caterers were going to arrive in two hours to start setting up. She had just enough time to get ready and have breakfast.

She jumped in the shower and got ready for the day. She chose to wear an elegant green summer dress with nude flat sandals and gold accessories. She pulled her hair in a French braid and grabbed her sunglasses, before going downstairs for breakfast.

Despite the madness of moving and organizing the picnic, Felicity had managed to hire a housekeeper, Marie. She was fifty-three and came with glowing recommendations. Plus, Felicity liked her. And Marie always got her coffee ready in the morning, so that was good.

“Good morning, Marie.” She smiled brightly.

“Good morning, Mrs. Queen.” The woman said warmly.

“I thought I told you to call me Felicity.”

“You did.”

“Is anyone else up?” she rolled her eyes good naturally.

“Your husband already had breakfast and is in his office. He said to let him know when the first guests arrive. Mr. Diggle and Mr. Heywood had their coffees and Ms. Michaels came down with them. Miss Tomaz is right behind you.” Marie replied.

“Morning, Boos, Marie,” Zari said approaching them.

“Good morning, Zari.”

“Ready for the day? We’re going to have a million people in running around our quiet place.” She sat next to Felicity.

“I think it will be fun.” The blonde said “this place is way too quiet. I think it will be nice to have little kids playing around.”

“Sure.” Zari shrugged unconvinced.

The two women had breakfast together and finished just as the caterers reached the gates. It was all hands-on deck after that. Felicity had to check that everything was in order with the food and then tell them where to set up and how. The first guests arrived on time, and Felicity had to play host alone, as Oliver was late. She had told him it was time since they called from the gates to tell them that people had started arriving. But god forbid Oliver Queen to listen to someone. He thought he had plenty of time to do whatever he was doing. Sometimes she wondered how his parents put up with that. They were important people that required everyone to be punctual.

She pushed those thoughts aside, as their guests reached the open front door and her. It was a family of three, and they had a little boy that seemed to be about three.

“Daddy! They have a dinosaur!” the little boy exclaimed. “Cool!”

“It is very cool!” Felicity smiled widely and kneeled to be on eye-level with the little boy.

“His name is Dino. What’s yours?”

“I’m Ben. Who are you?” he asked shyly.

“I’m Felicity and it is very nice to meet you, Ben.” She offered him her hand and the little boy shook it.

Dino the Dinosaur was a huge hit with the kids, but Felicity made sure that there was at least on guard next to it. She didn’t want to find him in a million little pieces. That thing was expensive. And it was cool, too.

Oliver joined her a few minutes and two families later. She may or may not have glared at him and may or may not have said “About time, sweetness.” When he finally stood next to her.

Felicity had a great time with the kids, especially the younger ones. One of the guys had a newborn and the mother was more than happy to place the baby in her arms. Felicity was a little terrified at first, but the baby was very agreeable and well mannered. Felicity placed the little girl against her chest while talking to the parents, rubbing soft circles on her little back, with a smile on her face.

She never saw Oliver watching her. She never saw that longing look on his face. She never knew that Oliver fantasized about her holding their baby like that with him next to her, smiling adoringly at them. She never knew how his heart ached for that. How much he wanted it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews feed my soul and my muse!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. You will probably hate me but ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter practically wrote itself. And I had so much fun writing it. So much fun! And I'm going to go start on the next chapter before my sister murders me with a pen. She's threatening me with bodily harm. She hates how I ended the chapter. As always let me know what you think and stay safe!

During the second half of the picnic, Oliver had Felicity confused, hot, and bothered.

He had joined her shortly after she had returned the baby to her parents and from that moment that fell into step with her, he was always touching her; her hand, her shoulder, or her back. And then he would randomly kiss her head; her forehead, her temple, or her cheek. It was driving her nuts. Not that she showed it. There was no way she would, let him wonder!

She caught Lyla’s eyes a couple of times and the older woman had a big smile on her face, which was not all that reassuring. And John had a similar smile on his face, too, when they were looking at them.

Felicity decided to play along after half an hour or so. She would lean into him, she would wrap an arm around his waist, she would kiss his cheek. And always looked at him with a big smile on her face. Two could play that game, and it was about time to step up her revenge. His head would be spinning by the end of the day. And that was a promise.

Okay, so, she did enjoy his touches and she _melted_ every time his lips met her skin. And she imagined him doing it in _completely different circumstances_. But she had to make do. Even if she caught herself lost in the memory of their kiss the night of the gala. And even though what had come after it pained and frustrated her, Felicity cherished that memory, because that kiss meant so much.

Throughout the day, she had him playing with the kids with her. And he was so good with them. His face softened when he was with the little people and lit up when one of the younger kiddies would sit on his lap. Her favorite was when a little girl about two years old kissed his cheek. And he _blushed_.

Felicity found herself daydreaming about Oliver sitting with their child on the grass playing, a little boy with her hair and his eyes and smile, sitting with his dad putting together some toy.

“He’s really good with kids.” A voice brought her back to reality.

Turning to the source, Felicity found an elegant woman close to Marie’s age. “Yes, he is. Looking at him now, no one would think that he is one of the most feared Captains.”

“True, but this is a good quality for a husband with the status that yours has.” She said politely. “You’ll make beautiful babies.”

Felicity blushed like she never had before. “W-We haven’t talked about kids, yet. You know, what with the move to America and then before that, we had the power struggle in Moscow.”

“Oh, yes. Quite understandable. You are young, you have time. but when the time comes you will indeed make beautiful babies.” The woman said looking back at Oliver.

“Thank you,” Felicity said sincerely.

“Oh, and dear, beware of Carrie Cutter. She is the redhead by the pool. She prides herself in bedding whomever she wants, and she has her sights on your husband.” she warned her.

Felicity followed her gaze and found a redhead, dressed in a tiny dress, sitting by the pool, practically undressing Oliver with her eyes. Felicity raised an eyebrow. Who the hell did she think she was coming into her home and acting like that?

“Let her try.” She said firmly. “She has no idea what I’m capable of doing.”

“Now, that’s the spirit. She tried to sleep with my husband once. She never tried again.” The woman chuckled. “I’m Alexandra Galanis-Orlov.” She offered her hand.

“Felicity S- Queen. Very nice to meet you.” She smiled politely and shook her hand.

“You as well, Mrs. Queen.”

“Please, Felicity.”

“Then, I’m Alexandra.” She nodded, “You have a beautiful home.”

“Oh, thank you. It took some time to find it. Oliver needed it to have certain things and then I wanted a nice walk-in-closet and my own office. But what sealed the deal for me is Dino.” Felicity beamed.

“Oh, yes” she chuckled, “Dino the Dinosaur is very popular among the children. Between the two of us, I would love to have one of those in my house.”

“Yes, he is. Oliver was worried that it may be a problem having a skeleton in our foyer, but he is a big hit.”

“My son certainly is talking about getting one for his apartment,” Alexandra said.

“I wish I had one growing up.” Felicity mused.

The two women talked for quite some time, about various topics, and Felicity enjoyed the older woman’s company. However, when she saw Carrie Cutter making a beeline for her husband, “Would you excuse me for a moment, Alexandra? I think my husband is about to need my assistance.” She said glaring at the redhead.

“Oh, certainly.” She nodded when she saw what Felicity did.

“I will be back in a moment.” She smiled politely and walked up to her husband, reaching him a few seconds before Cutter did.

Felicity put a big smile on her face and placed her arms around Oliver’s waist. “You know, my love, Mrs. Galanis-Orlov was complimenting me on our house and Dino.” She said sweetly, as Oliver put an arm around the waist.

“Alexandra Galanis-Orlov?” his eyes widened.

“Yes, I was just talking to her. She is a very nice woman. Maybe I’ll invite her for dinner.” Felicity said casually.

“Yes! I mean that would be lovely. She is a very hard woman to impress.” He nodded.

“She seems lovely to me.” She shrugged, her hands firmly on him. She could feel Cutter glaring at her back. Good. She looked Oliver in the eye and then did something that surprised even her.

She got on her tiptoes and kissed him lovingly, deepening the kiss after a few seconds. Oliver froze for exactly one second, before he wrapped both of his arms around her, pulling her closer.

And what kiss that was! It was sweet, yet it showed so many emotions. A tiny bit of frustration, a tiny bit of love, and a tiny bit of desperation. But the message was clear; hands-off, he is mine. Even if he was being stubborn about it. But they didn’t need to know about that.

“Come on” Felicity pulled back a little breathless, “I’ll introduce you.” She went to break free of the embrace, but Oliver held her firmly in place. He looked into her eyes and then gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“Lead the way, honey.” He said in that raspy voice that was so sexy that sent chills down her spine.

Felicity grinned and not because Carrie Cutter had heard him and witnessed the whole thing. This was a victory for her. A small victory, but a victory non the less. And that kiss was amazing, toe-curling amazing.

With a hand firmly around his waist, and his around her shoulder, Felicity guided him to the spot that Alexandra was.

“Alexandra, this is my husband, Oliver,” Felicity said with a smile on her face.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Galanis-Orlov.” Oliver gave her his best charming smile.

“Oh, you’re a flatterer.” She shook his hand, chuckling lightly.

“it’s not flattery if it’s true.” He smiled politely.

“Oh, you.” Felicity could have sworn Alexandra blushed.

“We were wondering if you and your family would like to join us for dinner tomorrow?” Felicity asked.

“Oh, that would be lovely.” Alexandra agreed.

Throughout the rest of the day, Felicity was never far from Oliver. Every time they were close enough, she would always touch him or kiss him. Or both. She enjoyed that look he got on his face after every kiss. And she enjoyed the actual kisses. And it wasn’t like he could say anything to her to stop her. After all, they were married, and they had to present a united front. What she was doing was helping.

“Are you trying to give him a heart attack?” an amused Zari asked her.

“No, but I do enjoy myself.” Felicity grinned.

“It’s working, too. Everyone is talking about how strong of a couple you are and how you care about your people. This little event is a huge success. Of course, John lost twenty dollars and he is a little sour about it,” she chuckled.

“What do you mean he lost twenty dollars?” the blonde frowned.

“We had a bet. He didn’t think you would be so physical or aggressive. He lost. And I won.” Zari shrugged. “I have another bet with Nate.”

“Anything I can help you with?”

“No, it’s about Oliver and how he will react to something.” Her friend said.

“To what?”

“There is a guy, one of the new guys that have been ogling you. Oliver had noticed.” She shrugged.

“And you are waiting for his reaction?” she asked.

“Yup. Lyla and John are in on it, too.”

“Do you think he cares?” Felicity’s eyes searched for her husband.

“Oh, he cares. We’re just waiting to see what he will do to stake his claim.” Zari said rolling her eyes. How could Felicity be so smart and so clueless at the same time?

“I’m not his property to stake a claim.” She huffed annoyed.

“No, you are not, but some guys only get a clue a certain way. That guy is one of those.” The raven-haired woman said.

“Hm.” Felicity pursed her lips. Her eyes landed on her husband who was currently glaring at a man he was talking to. “Is he the one with the checked orange and blue tie?”

“That’s him.” Zari nodded.

“Let me know who wins,” Felicity said and went to Oliver. She completely missed the smile on Zari’s face.

“Goddammit, John is going to win” she mumbled, watching the scene in front of her.

But of course, Felicity surprised her. She approached and said something to Oliver with her Mrs. Queen smile, that had Oliver’s face relax. Then she left and went back to the place assigned for the younger kids and made herself comfortable. She stayed there for some time, playing with them. Of course, she was so preoccupied that completely missed the looks Oliver sent her way.

Yeah, Zari was going to change her bet. Those two were getting together before the summer was out, maybe even before Felicity’s birthday.

By the time the door closed behind the last of their guests, Felicity was exhausted. She threw herself on one of the sofas and closed her eyes. It had been a good day. She had enjoyed playing with the kids and she also enjoyed watching Oliver playing with the kids. And she had loved touching him and kissing him, even though it was torture for her, as that was all that she could do until Oliver pulled his head out of his ass.

The highlight of the day was probably that first kiss that she had given him when she swept in to keep that Cutter woman away from her husband. She had enjoyed that so much. And she had decided to play on the offensive from then on. She was done waiting for Oliver to wake up. She was going to give him a hand.

“Are you okay?” her husband’s voice broke her musings.

“Just tired.” She said not opening her eyes. “I did enjoy it, but I feel like I ran a marathon.”

“You spent the better part of the day running around with four-year-old kids.” He said deadpanned.

“True.” She opened her eyes and sat up. “That’s why I have a date with my bathtub and a cup of hot chocolate.” She stood up, “Good night, Oliver.” She said and kissed him on the cheek as she passed him. With the corner of her eye, she saw him placing his palm on the spot her lips had vacated.

Felicity didn’t stop at that. The next morning, when she got down for breakfast, Oliver was already at the table. Felicity grinned, glad that she decided to go down in her kimono.

“Good morning, darling.” She kissed his cheek and sat next to him.

“Did you get you rest?” he asked in a silky voice.

“Yes, I did. My bubble bath helped a lot.” she nodded, picking up some fruit from the plate in front of her.

“Good.” He smiled at her, “I have to go for a few hours, but I will be back in plenty of time for dinner.”

“I’ll send an army after you if you’re not here two hours before that.” She said innocently.

“I’m sure you will. I have to go.” He stood and then he dived his head and placed a kiss on her lips. Then he left without saying anything else.

What. The. Actual. Frack.

“What happened to you? It’s like you’ve seen a ghost.” Lyla’s voice reached her ears.

“He just kissed me.” She blinked.

“Okay?” Lyla frowned.

“He said that he had to leave for a few hours, but he would be here in plenty of time for dinner. Then I told him that if he wasn’t, I’d send an army after him. He said that he had to go. He kissed me as if it’s something he does all the time and left.” Felicity blinked, replaying the scene in her mind. She liked how natural it had felt. She could get used to it.

“Oh. Do you think he is finally coming around?” the brunette asked.

“I don’t know. You think?” Felicity frowned.

“Could be. I’ll ask Johnny if he knows anything.” Lyla said. Was he coming around or was he just retaliation for the day before? Yeah, she had to talk to her husband, maybe he would know what was going on with their boss and friend.

Couldn’t concentrate on anything that day, so she decided to watch a movie. He put a reminder on her phone so that she had plenty of time to get ready for dinner. Three hours should be enough.

The Weasley twins had just given Harry the Marauders Map when she realized she wasn’t alone in the media room. Looking up, she found Oliver standing three feet from her.

“What are you watching?” he asked casually.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I hadn’t seen the movies in a long time. I have another four after this one.” She replied, trying to keep her voice even. “And then I have to wait for the last movie to come out in July.”

“I thought there were seven books.” He frowned.

“They split the seventh book in two.” She said, looking up at him surprised. “I didn’t think you would be a fan.”

“My sister loves Harry Potter. She used to make me read the books to her, even though she was old enough to read them herself.” He said with a fond smile on his face.

“If I had a brother, I would make him read to me too.” She didn’t know how comfortable he was talking about his family. Sure, he had told her a few things, little things, since they met, but she didn’t want to push him.

“I have no doubt. I have seen up until the fifth movie.” He sat next to her.

“Do you remember what happens in the books?” Felicity asked.

“I do. I’ve read them, multiple times.” 

“In that case, we’re watching Half-Blood Prince after dinner,” Felicity said determinedly.

“It’s a date, Mrs. Queen. Now, we have a little over three hours before the Orlovs are here. Marie said you set an alarm for about this time to get ready.” Oliver said.

“Right. I gotta get ready. You should go, too. Though you probably don’t need three hours.” She stood up.

“True.” He said looking at her and Felicity couldn’t read him.

“I’ll see you in three hours.” She said and left the media room. Only when the doors of the elevator closed, she realized what he had said. Date. Did they have a date, or it was just a figure of speech? Oh, damn.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Oliver Queen.” She sighed.

  
two hours and fifteen minutes later, Felicity was ready for dinner with Orlovs. She wore a black form-[fitting dress with an illusion neckline, her black Jimmy Choo’s, and silver jewellery.](https://gr.pinterest.com/pin/379006124896493455/) She put on some light makeup and sprayed on some perfume. She pulled her hair in a sleek ponytail and she was ready.

She took the stairs to the dining room and found Oliver already waiting by Dino. He was wearing a black suit, a white crisp shirt, and a forest green tie. “I knew you loved Dino!” she said triumphantly. And she loved how she could be playful with him again.

“My eight-year-old self would be ecstatic that I have my very own dinosaur.” He said and raised his head to look at her. His mouth opened slightly, but he caught himself. His eyes ran over her twice and Felicity saw him swallow.

“What? Not good? Do I need to change?” she asked innocently, though she knew he liked what he saw.

“N-no.” he cleared his throat. “No, no need to change. You look beautiful.” He said the last word in a low voice. Oh, yes. She did.

“Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself.” She smiled genuinely at him. “I’m going to check on the food.”

“Okay. I’ll go grab the wine from the cellar.” He nodded and turned for the stairs, while Felicity made her way to the kitchen.

Alexandra and her husband Arkady had three children; Vladimir that was 21, Nikola who was 18, and Darko who was 15. They were well mannered and polite, and Vladimir took an instant love to Dino. Though It was Darko told his parents he wanted one for Christmas.

“You’re getting socks for Christmas.” Arkady had joked.

They had a lovely evening, overall. Alexandra glared at her husband when he tried to talk business with Oliver, shutting him up effectively. They talked about a lot of things. Darko was interested in computers so he and Felicity got into a deep conversation about them. Felicity impressed the young boy was practically sending her heart eyes.

“You are very well versed in computers,” Arkady noted impressed.

“I went to MIT.” She blushed a little at the praise. “I got a scholarship when I was sixteen and graduated at nineteen with double master’s in computer science and Cyber Security.” She said proudly.

“Wow,” Darko said.

“Thank you. I build the Mansion’s security system myself and I am working on a separate security system for my closet. I want to have a fingerprint scanner to open it.” Felicity said.

“Why would you need that in your closet?” Nikola asked frowning. “it’s just clothes.”

“Oh, boy.” Oliver chuckled. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

“My wedding shoes alone cost sixteen hundred dollars,” Felicity told him with a light shrug.

“For shoes?!”

“It’s Ralph &Russo and they are _beautiful_ shoes. And it’s not even the most expensive piece I have.” The blonde said.

“Are they from the Eden collection?” Alexandra asked.

“Yes, they are. They’re the red satin ones with the rose gold leaves on the heal.” Felicity nodded eagerly.

“Oh, they are true beauties.” The older woman nodded in agreement.

“I don’t understand why shoes are so expensive,” Nikola said.

“You’ll understand when you get married. When your wife spends a small fortune buying them.” His father chuckled.

“But what if someone needs to get in your closet to get something for you?” Vladimir asked.

“I may add another person in the list of approved people to enter. But I am doing it for the fun of it mostly.” Felicity laughed lightly.

They Orlovs left around nine-thirty, with promises to have the Queens over for dinner soon. Felicity and Alexandra even exchanges phone numbers and were making plans to go shopping together soon.

“I’m going to change, and I will meet you in the media room in thirty minutes,” Oliver said and left for his bedroom.

Truth to be told, Felicity was afraid that he would have forgotten. But he hadn’t. they were having a date, or maybe not a _date_ , but still.

She went to her room and changed into a pair of blue silk pajamas that had white tigers on them. She took off her makeup and pulled her hair out of the ponytail and brushed it. She brushed her teeth and she was ready to go.

When she entered the media room, Oliver was already there, wearing grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt that hugged his muscled arms beautifully. And he also had a bottle of wine and popcorn.

Felicity grabbed two blankets from the drawer and joined him on the sofa. They didn’t say much. They sat close to each other, sharing the snacks, and watching Harry’s adventures. By the end of the movie, Oliver had his arm around her, and she rested her head on his chest. She fell asleep on him and Oliver didn’t have the heart to move them. They slept together that night, Felicity tucked in his arms and Oliver stroking her back, telling her all the things he didn’t dare to tell her when she was awake.

The next day, Oliver was in his office working. It was nearing lunchtime when John barged through his office door with a wild look on his face.

“The Triad took Felicity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments feed my sould and make me write faster!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end, folks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves! We're nearing the end, but I still have some stories to tell in this universe, so I may be turning this into a series or adding more chapters! Keep an eye out! Also, huge thanks to my sister for all her help! Let me know what you think and stay safe!

“

“The Triad took Felicity.”

Oliver froze. All air left his lungs. His ears were buzzing. His heart rate picked up. “ _What?_ ” he barked.

“She was out shopping, she was with two of the inherited guys because Lyla had training and Zari is in Las Vegas with Nate. When she was getting in the car the Triad attacked them. Both of the guys are in the hospital.”

Oliver could only blink. How was that possible? How? Only this morning he woke up with Felicity in his arms, feeling warm inside after _years_ feeling cold and empty. He had laid there with his wife in his arms, stroking her back, thinking what an idiot he had been for pushing her away.

And she did the most adorable thing with her eyebrows when she was waking up. He knew when she stopped sleeping. But she didn’t open her eyes, instead, she snuggled into him and he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He told her that he had to get up soon and she shushed him. _Too early._ She had said. Though she didn’t go back to sleep, they stayed together snuggled on the surprisingly comfortable sofa. Oliver adjusted her in his lap, making sure that she didn’t feel exactly how happy he was to wake up with her in his arms. Because he was. _So happy_.

“Call Lyla! Call everyone! I want to know exactly what happened and how they took her!” Oliver barked.

“Lyla is on her way. I called Nate and Zari; they are on the first flight back. Igor is working on the traffic cameras and I m on my way to the hospital to talk with her bodyguards.” John told him.

“We need to find her, Digg. I can’t… I can’t lose her. I won’t.” he said desperately.

“You won’t. We will get her back. And the bastards that took her will pay for it.” his right-hand man promised. “I will call you as soon as I speak with them and know more.”

Felicity slowly opened her eyes, mindful of the throbbing pain in her head. She slowly opened her eyes and then closed them again. She was somewhere dark and damp. It looked like a cell. She groaned. _Not again_.

“M-Miss?” a scared voice made her open her eyes again. She could see a blur hovering over her. She blinked a few times and the image became clearer. It was a young brunette woman, that was vaguely familiar. “Are you okay?”

“My head is killing me.” She breathed. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.” She said. “Do you know why they took us?”

“I know why they took me; I have no idea why they took you.” She said closing her eyes. “I’m Felicity, by the way.”

“I’m Thea.” The brunette said, sitting next to her.

“Thea? As in Thea Queen?” her eyes widened.

“Yeah. That’s me.” She nodded.

“Oh, frack.” Felicity cursed.

“they probably took me for ransom money, but what about you?” Thea asked.

“They could ask for ransom money, too, but they probably need for either information or leverage,” Felicity said.

“But why? I mean no offense, but I don’t know you and I know all the rich people in this city.” She frowned.

“Well, for one I’m new in the city. But you don’t know me because as far as I know, you don’t have any ties to the Russian Mafia.” Okay, she didn’t mean to say that.

“Mafia? You don’t look like a mobster.” Thea cocked her head.

“I’m not. I’m married to Starling’s Bratva Captain.” She sighed.

“I’m probably being nosy, but you seem too young to be married.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either marry the American Captain, my husband, or go through the Bratva initiation. And I wouldn’t have survived it. My husband needed a wife to stabilize his position and I needed to marry into the brotherhood, so we got married.” Felicity explained.

“I’m sorry,” Thea said softly.

“Don’t be. We may have gotten married out of necessity, but we have a good thing going on, except for when he thought he was too damaged for me and avoided me like the plague. But we have found a new normal in the last couple of days. And I’m in love with him, cliché as it sounds. It doesn’t hurt that he is hot as hell, too.” Oh, damn. She was talking to her about her brother whom she thought to be dead. “I normally wouldn’t have said any of that. I must have hurt my head a lot.”

“Do you think anyone is looking for us?” Thea asked in a small voice.

“Definitely,” Felicity assured her. “I had two bodyguards with me, and granted they weren’t my usual, but I’m sure they’ve told my husband what happened. They will come for us.” Her head was pounding.

“Nobody should be looking for me. I’m supposed to be at school.” Thea said defeated.

“They took you from your school?” Felicity’s eyes widened. She winced.

“Yeah, you’d think that a school this expensive would be safe. Obviously, that’s not the case.”

“If I was your mom, I would withdraw you asap.” Felicity hummed. It was getting harder to keep her eyes open.

“Felicity? Are you okay?” Thea frowned.

“I think I’m going to pass out” she barely managed to say the last word before darkness claimed her. She tried to fight it. She didn’t want to leave Thea alone, but she couldn’t.

Oliver was going crazy. It had been three hours and still no news. He had sent men on the streets to get information with any means necessary, but no one had called in yet. Lyla was running the only lead they had, the van, but Oliver didn’t think it would yield anything useful. He was sick and tired of being behind his desk, waiting over the phone. He got to his feet and left his office, his cell in his pocket. His legs carried him outside in the garden. The memories of the picnic flashed before his eyes. Her beautiful laugh rang in his ears. He could see her holding that baby girl against her chest.

What if he was too late? What if he wouldn’t be able to save her? What would become of him then?

And then the rage settled in. Those bastards that took her were going to pay. They will rue the day they were born. His eyes hardened, his fists clenched.

He found himself in her office. He sat behind her desk taking the room in. He knew she hadn’t had the time to decorate yet, to truly make it hers. She had set up the computers, but other than that …. Then his eyes fell on the frame on the corner of her desk. It was of them at their wedding.

After all the crap he pulled her through, after being the king of idiots, Felicity had a framed picture from their wedding on her desk. And it was a beautiful photo. He ran his thumb over his wedding ring, trying to get some comfort. Felicity, pure and sweet Felicity, who was forced into this mess, forced to marry a Bratva Captain with a reputation that proceeded him, had a photo with the ass that had been pushing her away and avoiding for months. A man that had hurt her.

He clenched his jaw. He was going to find her and then he was going to show her and tell her exactly what she meant to him and how much he loved her.

“I love you, Felicity. I love you so much.” He said to the photo caressing her figure. He was not going to make the same mistakes again. He was going to be the man Felicity deserved. He would make her happy, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

Felicity was gone for seven hours. Every single person in the Family was looking for her. Alexandra and Arkady had offered their assistance in whatever he may need to find her. Nate and Zari had returned from Las Vegas and were out on the streets, looking for information, as were Lyla and Diggle.

In the end, they got the information they needed by paying some street kids. They had seen a woman that matched Felicity’s description, being carried from a van, that matched the one that took her, into a warehouse by Chinese men.

And that’s all it took. Digg gathered twenty men in addition to himself, his wife, Nate, Zari, and Oliver. They spent one whole hour of planning and getting ready. They got a whole arsenal of weapons with them, and two vans in addition to the two SUVs. The instructions were clear. Oliver wanted to take prisoners to learn who dared to order his wife’s abduction, but the primary goal was to get Felicity back.

It took too long in Oliver’s opinion to reach the warehouse. With every passing moment, his restlessness grew. He wanted his wife back with him and safe. And he wanted that now. He felt sick at the thought of what they could be doing to her. His sweet Felicity was at the mercy of the Triad thugs. That thought made his blood boil. He wouldn’t let that pass without retribution.

When they finally reached the warehouse district in the Glades, they parked a block away from the warehouse they were targeting, as to not alarm anyone of their presence for as long as possible.

Oliver gave the final instructions and they were off. Oliver’s team, that included Lyla and Nate along with four other men, was going to infiltrate the building from the back, while Joh and Lyla’s team from the front. They had some guys keep an eye on the outside just in case. ‘

They infiltrated the building as quietly as they could. They would knock off whomever they found on their way. They had a goal, and no one was getting in the way of that. They didn’t have much security, which at that moment was a blessing. It meant that they would get to Felicity sooner.

They circled the place, checking the rooms one by one. And they were all empty. Oliver had started losing hope but then they heard it, a female scream. Felicity. Someone was hearting her.

Oliver didn’t even remember if he gave the order to follow him, but the teams did anyway. When they reached the room the scream was coming from, Oliver didn’t waste a single second. He barged in, guns blazing. They were two women tied to their chairs. His mind registered that one of them was his wife, though the other one was familiar, too.

In the room was another man, a Chinese man that was torturing his Felicity. He was using a _whip._ He was whipping his Felicity. Oliver didn’t think. He reacted. He grabbed him from behind turning him and punched him before passing him to the closest person to him, that happened to be Zari, and said “Take him”.

He turned his attention back to Felicity. She was looking at him with wide eyes, trying to decide if he was real or if her imagination playing tricks. Oliver’s heart broke at that.

He kneeled in front of her slowly, avoiding all sudden movements, and very carefully cupped her cheeks. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“You’ve never called me that.” She said in a small voice.

“Maybe I should have, from the start.” He looked her in the eyes.

“You came.” She cried.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” he frowned.

“I-I knew you were coming, b-but then he started saying things, that I’m replaceable and nothing more than a pretty f-face for you.” Her tears ran down her cheeks.

“You are not replaceable, quite the opposite and you are not _just_ a pretty face. You are my wife, Felicity and I take that very seriously, regardless of my feelings. And trust me, my feelings for you are so strong.” He said firmly.

“Yeah?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah. Ready to go home?” he asked, cutting her ties.

“Yes. Oh, Thea is hurt. He hit her over the head, and she passed out.” She said looking to her left to the other woman.

“Thea?” Oliver exclaimed alarmed. “My sister Thea?”

“Yeah, they took her from her school. We have to take her with us. We can’t leave her here! I promised her.” Felicity said frantically.

“We will, Felicity. We will. We’re taking her back to the Mansion with us.” Oliver promised.

“Boss, take Felicity and I will take her,” Nate said moving to Thea and cutting her ties. “John has had the cars brought here.”

“Thanks, Nate. We will bring them both to my SUV.” Oliver said and placed an arm on Felicity’s back and the other under her knees.

“I can walk, I think.” She protested.

“Humor me.” He said picking her up. He waited to see Nate was behind him with his sister and then they made their way to the cars. They put them both on the back seat and they took off for home, where two doctors were waiting to examine them.

They were halfway through to the Mansion when Thea stirred. “Wha-“

“It’s okay, Thea. They found us. They came for us.” Felicity assured her, taking her hand.

“Where are we going?”

“Home. Well, my home. Doctors are waiting for us.” The blonde explained.

“My mom?”

“We will contact her as soon as the doctors have cleared you,” Lyla said from the front seat.

“Do I get to see your dinosaur?” Thea asked, closing her eyes again.

“Certainly.” Felicity said, “Get some rest, I will wake you when you arrive.”

Felicity didn’t let go of Thea’s hand, even after they had arrived home, longer than necessary to get off the car. Oliver helped her, while Lyla helped Thea. Oliver was careful to hide his face from his sister until he knew what he wanted to do. He carried Felicity to the med bay, which used to be the massage room, while Lyla took Thea with the elevator to Felicity’s room to shower and change, by the blonde’s request. And then they were going to switch; Thea was going to the med bay and Felicity to shower.

“Don’t do that to me again,” Oliver told his wife and then lowered his head to capture her lips in a sweet kiss.

“I’ll do my best.” She promised. “What happened to my temps?”

“They’ll be fine, don’t worry.” He assured her. “Just flesh wounds.”

“Okay. What are you going to do? About Thea? Are you going to tell her?” Felicity asked her husband.

“I don’t know. It’s a possibility, but I don’t know yet.” Oliver sighed.

“It’s okay, we will figure it out.” She said, nuzzling her head in his neck.

“When you feel better, you and I are going to have a talk, clear some things up, okay?”

“As long as you don’t want a divorce. I’m not giving you one.” She said not even bothering to open her eyes.

“I assure you I do _not_ want a divorce, Felicity. Never in a million years.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Good, because I am not giving you one.” She hummed.

The doctors came in moments later. They ran a gazillion tests and then cleaned her wounds, assuring her that nothing was going to scar and that she would be all healed up in a few days. They even gave her a balm for the whip marks.

Oliver helped Felicity to her room. He wanted her to go to bed asap, but Felicity said that she was having a shower. Oliver couldn’t argue when she said that she needed to wash away as much of her ordeal as she could. He told her that he was going to be in her bedroom and that if she needed anything, she was to call for him.

Felicity took a hot shower washing away the blood, the sweat, and the grim. She stayed long enough to clean herself. She wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and went to her wardrobe to get dressed. She picked out a pair of comfortable pajamas and got dressed. She dried her hair and then slipped back into her room, where Oliver was waiting for her.

“Everything okay?” he asked, his eyes running over her to assure himself that everything was fine. That she was there, and she was safe.

“Yes, I feel so much better.” She stood in front of him and laid her head on his chest. Immediately, his hands shot up, embracing her gently.

“You need to rest.” He whispered.

“I know. I will.” She nodded and climbed into her bed. “Can you have Thea brought here? I know you’re supposed to be dead and everything, but I don’t want her to be alone.” She looked at him with doe eyes.

“I promise, I will.” He said tacking her in. “I’m going to let Lyla know, and I will be right back, okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

Oliver kissed her and went back to the med bay. He managed to signal Lyla without Thea seeing him, though Oliver knew that she was dying to see Felicity’s mysterious husband.

“What’s up, boss?” the older woman asked.

“Felicity wants Thea to stay with her.” He said simply.

“Okay, I will bring her up, then. I’ll knock before we enter, give you time to hide in the corridor to the closet.” She nodded, understanding. “are you telling her?”

“Haven’t decided yet. But when you have Thea settled, call my mother. Tell her that she was taken with your employer, Felicity, and that you’ve founder and that she is safe, but currently asleep under doctor’s orders.” Oliver instructed, rubbing his eyes.

“She’ll want to come.” Lyla pointed out.

“Give her the address. We’ll deal with it, one way or the other.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it has certainly been quite the journey! But fear not! I'm not done yet! As you may notice, there is a new series called At The Wrong Place, At The Right Moment and this story is its first installment! I have so much more to tell beyond those ten chapters! Tell me what more you want to see me writing for those two! Thank you all for following me on this adventure and I cannot wait to see you again for the next one! And sis, thank you!

Olivers sat at his wife’s side, watching over her and his sister. He never thought that he would be doing that, after rescuing them from the Triad, while his family thought him dead.

He knew that he had to come back from the dead at some point, he was living and operating in his hometown. Maybe this was a good opportunity to show himself to his family. Maybe this was a sign.

He missed them. He truly did, more than he could put into words. He had missed almost four years already and, honestly, he did want to miss more. But he was afraid. He was afraid of their reaction, afraid that they would not forgive him, afraid that they would want nothing to do with him.

He had to get it together and decide what he was going to do because his mother should be on her way already.

He couldn’t pretend that he was stranded somewhere all this time and was miraculously saved. He had a wife he didn’t plan on keeping a secret, at least not from his family and he had formed another family with her, the Diggles, Zari, and Nate.

There was no choice to make. He was going to tell them the truth. The question now was how.

“I’m sure if you were awake you would have some good ideas.” He told his wife’s sleeping form. “I’m lost without you. I don’t know what I was thinking, pushing you away like that.” He sighed.

“Oliver?” Nate’s voice came from the door.

“Yeah?”

“Your mother is here, just got past the gates.”

“Okay. Bring her up when she arrives and tell her that she is welcome to stay the night. And please, tell Marie to prepare her one of the guest bedrooms. I’ll be on the balcony when you come in. I don’t want her to see me yet.” Oliver nodded his thanks.

“Alright, boss. I’ll head downstairs, she should be arriving any moment now.” Nate said and left.

Nate reached the main floor just as the front door opened and Moira Queen stepped inside, followed by her a bodyguard.

“Mrs. Queen, I’m Lyla Michaels, we spoke on the phone.” She offered her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Michaels. What happened to my daughter?” she shook it.

“The Chinese Triad kidnapped my boss, we managed to track her down and when we found her, she was in the same cell as your daughter. We brought them back here. Our doctors treated them, and they are sleeping upstairs. She is going to be fine. The doctors will be here in the morning if you want to talk to them.” Lyla explained.

“I would like to talk to them.’ She nodded, “Why did they take them? They didn’t contact me for ransom. I was about to call the police when you called me.”

“My boss is a tech genius, this is probably why they took her, however, the motives regarding your daughter are unclear.” She replied.

“Can Thea be moved? I would like to take her home.” Moira said.

“The doctors strongly advised against it, but you are welcome to spend the night here.” Nate piped. “It came from the big boss, directly.” He said to Lyla.

“Is he still up?” Lyla asked.

“He was check-in on them a few minutes ago, but I think he’s left to make phone calls. Mrs. Galinos-Orlov demanded frequent updates and you don’t want to make her mad.” Nate covered.

“Alexandra Galinos-Orlov?” Moira asked taken aback.

“Yes, she adores Felicity. She and her family were here yesterday for dinner.” Lyla confirmed.

Moira nodded, deep in thought. Alexandra was a hard woman to impress and if this Felicity Smoak had won her over, she was someone to keep an eye on.

“Would you like me to show you upstairs? Your daughter is sharing with Felicity tonight, for convenience. We have to wake them up every few hours.” Nate asked. “They are in the master suite.”

“Yes, thank you. Rob, go home, I will stay here tonight.” She turned to her bodyguard.

“Are you sure, Mrs. Queen?” the man asked.

“Yes, I am. I will call you when I need you. Have a good night.” She dismissed him and turned to Nate.

“Go, I’ll tell Marie to prepare a room,” Lyla told Nate and left for the kitchen.

“Right this way, Mrs. Queen. We’re taking the elevator.” He guided her to it. Inside the cabin, Nate used his thumbprint and his seven-digit code to allow them access to the master floor.

“Impressive,” Moira noted.

“Yes, it is. Felicity designed this all on her own. The floor we’re heading to is limited access one.” He explained and it wasn’t entirely a lie, but they didn’t need her going snooping around the floor and coming across Oliver.

“Why is that?” she asked curiously.

“We have a lot of people coming and going in here, plus When we have parties and formal dinners, we don’t want people sneaking in on the master suite and the master bedroom; those rooms are private and they have some very expensive things in them, starting with Felicity’s shoes.” Nate said, literally making things up. “and granted, we’re not fully moved in yet, but …”

“Oh, I see how that would be a problem.” She nodded. She was a woman herself and the thought about someone sneaking in her bedroom made her skin crawl.

They arrived just then, and Nate showed her to the master suite. Nate opened the door soundly and slowly to make sure Oliver was out of sight.

“Someone will come to get you when your room is ready,” Nate said.

“Thank you, Mr. …?”

“Nathaniel Heywood.” He offered his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Heywood.” She nodded.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Queen.” He nodded. Damn, it was weird calling someone else Mrs. Queen, when the only Mrs. Queen Nate knew was Felicity. Nate left the suit and went to the master bedroom and out through the doors, to find Oliver.

“I just left your mother in the suit. I told her that it was a limited access floor so that she won’t come snooping tomorrow and bump into you.” He told his boss.

“Thank you, Nate.” He said sincerely. “Go get some rest, you’ve had a long day.”

“I will.” He nodded, “Hey, boss? I want my turn with that bastard we got from Triad.”

“You’ll have it.”

“I’ll see you in the morning. Good night, boss.”

“Night, Nate. And thank you.” Oliver said from his heart.

“We’re family, Oliver,” Nate said and then left to find Zari.

Oliver stayed in his spot on the balcony, observing. From his spot, he had a perfect view of his mother, while also remaining hidden.

He wondered what she would do if she knew that her dead son was a few feet behind her, watching her. What would she do if she knew that the blonde woman next to Thea was his wife, the woman he loves. What would she do had she known that her son is alive and watching her? What would she do then?

He watched her looking around the room, taking it in, probably looking for clues. She was probably disappointed that the room didn’t have any photos, something Oliver was planning on changing soon. The most personal things were Felicity’s glasses on her nightstand and one of her silk kimonos on an armchair.

She turned her attention to Felicity next. She took her face in and her hands that were not covered, studying her injuries. Then her eyes landed on her wedding ring and Oliver could almost see her frown because for her it should be on her other hand.

She sat on the edge of the bed, on Thea’s feet, and took her hand. Oliver saw her shoulder’s falling in relief that her daughter was okay. She stayed like that until Zari came to take her to her room. It was getting late after all.

Zari’s eyes found his, giving him a small nod, to let him know that everything was alright.

Once he was sure that they left, Oliver resumed his previous position by the bed. He stayed for a little while longer, but he had to go to his room eventually, as he needed to catch a few hours of sleep. He would gladly sleep in the armchair, but he didn’t want Thea to find out like that.

He kissed his wife and planted a kiss on his sister's forehead and went to his room. He had a quick shower and fell into a fitful sleep. All he could see when he closed his eyes, was that bastard using the whip on Thea and Felicity.

  
Felicity woke up slowly the next morning. Urgh, she had forgotten to blackout the room the night before. She hated it when she did that. She liked sleeping in a dark room. She turned and suddenly came face to face with Thea Queen and everything came crashing in.

The triad had abducted them. They had tortured them, mostly her, for information that quite honestly didn’t have. Well, mostly.

Then Oliver had barged in and yanked the asshat off her. He had called her sweetheart and had said some other things that gave her hope and put a smile on her face.

They had returned to the mansion, taking Thea with them, making sure she didn’t see Oliver’s face. The doctors had checked them and then she had insisted that Thea shared her room, as she didn’t want the younger woman waking up alone, after what they had been through.

She sat up on the bed and reached for one of her bed’s hidden compartments and retrieved one of her tablets that she had stashed there. She wanted to have an idea of what was going on in the house before she got up.

She started with the master floor’s cameras. Oliver was up; his bed was empty but thankfully slept on. switching between the cameras, she found him on the balcony, looking towards her room, though she was pretty sure that he couldn’t see anything from where he was standing.

He switched to the next floor; Zari and Nate were out of their rooms. Digg was in the med bay, probably taking inventory of the supplies and Lyla was outside of Moira Queen’s bedroom. Her mother in law. Oh, good god! Her mother in law was in her house! And she didn’t know that she was her mother in law! Frack!

Said mother in law, was getting ready for the day and Lyla was probably waiting for her to bring her up to see Thea. Oh, shoot. What was she supposed to do?

She quickly checked the rest of the house and was relieved to see the doctors coming in because Moira was probably going to be speaking with them first. Hopefully.

She put the laptop back in the compartment when Thea stirred. “Hey, sleepyhead. How do you feel?” Felicity asked softly.

Thea frowned at her confused until the events of the previous day caught up with her. “Oh.” She breathed. “I’m feeling much better. You?”

“I’ve been better, but I’m so much better than last night.” She said.

“Where are we? I know we are at your place.” Thea sat up.

“This is the master suite, my bedroom.”

“oh, what about your husband? Please tell me I didn’t kick him out of his bed.” Her eyes widened.

“First, I insisted you stay with me; I didn’t want you to wake up alone after what happened. Second, we have separate bedrooms. Remember when I told you things are complicated between us?” Felicity replied.

“Yeah.”

“We have separate bedrooms, something I plan on rectifying soon. He has the master bedroom, it’s the only other room on this floor. The rest is the balcony. And granted our rooms take up a whole lot of space.” She explained. Do you want to get ready and go down for breakfast? Your mom is here.”

“She is?” her eyebrows disappeared in her hairline.

“Yes, I think she is talking with the doctors that treated us.” The blonde nodded.

“Okay, let’s get up then.” she nodded.

“I think we are about the same size, so thankfully my clothes will fit you. Your uniform is in the laundry room.” Felicity got up and opened the panel door that led to the closet and the bathroom.

Felicity took Thea to the closet first. “Wow! I want one of those.”

“It’s part of the reason why we got this place; I fell in love with the closet and Dino.” Felicity chuckled. “It’s a little empty, but I plan on filling it up. Go ahead look around, pick what you want. I’ll be back in a moment.” She said and left Thea. She headed to the bathroom and opened the glass doors to let herself to the balcony.

“Hey,” she smiled at her husband.

“Hey,” he said back and he was in front of her kissing her in an instant. “How do you feel?”

“Better.” She assured him. “I don’t have much time, I left Thea in the closet. You might want to stay clear of the suit’s windows for a little while. Thea could see you.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll go get ready. I just wanted to check on you.” He nodded.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“Yes.” He said and kissed her again. “I’ll see you later,” Oliver said and made his way to his room. She may as well enjoy the show.

Felicity returned to the closet to find Thea. The brunette had picked a pair of jeans and a soft T-shirt. Felicity picked a long dark green summer dress and a pair of comfy sandals.

Twenty minutes later, they were ready and taking the elevator to the main floor. “It’s so cool that you have your own elevator. Our house is too old.” Thea said.

“It’s weird for me, too. I grew up in a tiny apartment. I’m still getting used to living in a house this big.” Felicity said. The elevator dinged, indicating that they had reached the main floor.

Felicity guided Thea to the kitchen, where breakfast was served and Zari was already seated.

“Morning, Felicity, Miss Queen. How do you feel?” she asked them over her cup of coffee.

“Much better, Zari. Thank you. Thea, this is Zari. She is my friend and one of my bodyguards.” Felicity introduced.

“A bodyguard that’s never letting you out of her sight, ever again. Nice to meet you, Miss Queen.”

“You, too.” She smiled politely.

“Your things should be over in a few days, Felicity.”

“Oh, you had time for that?” she asked happily surprised, as they took their seats.

“Yup. We were packing the last box when Lyla called and told us that you had been abducted.” Zari nodded. “It was the longest flight of my life. And Nate wasn’t making things easier.”

“You came from Las Vegas for me?”

“Felicity, even if you weren’t family and everything and even if it wasn’t our jobs, your husband was going ballistics. I’ve never seen him like that.” Zari gave her an exasperated look.

“I think that things aren’t as complicated as you think, Felicity. I think your husband has feelings for you.” Thea pipped. “It’s probably none of my business, but….”

“He said so. Last night when he found us. He said that we need to talk about it soon.” She said ignoring Thea’s last comment.

“About time, too.” Zari rolled her eyes. “The tension is getting stifling.”

“What’s stifling?” Nate asked coming in from the pool area.

“The tension between her and him,” Zari said pointing to Felicity and the ceiling, indicating Oliver’s room.

“Totally,” Lyla said coming from the back of the kitchen. “How are you this morning, ladies?”

“Much better, thank you,” Felicity said. “Thea this is Lyla my other friend and bodyguard, and Nate a member of the _family_.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Queen,” Lyla said and Nate nodded, both of them sitting around the table.

“You as well.”

Moira Queen came in then, followed by Diggle. “Good morning, John, Mrs. Queen,” Felicity said politely.

“Morning Felicity. You good?”

“Peachy.”

“Mrs. Smoak, thank you for all you’ve done for my daughter,” Moira said.

“Please don’t thank me. I did what every decent person would.” She blushed. “Please join us for breakfast.”

“Thank you.” She nodded and sat next to her daughter.

“Where’s the coffee?” Felicity frowned, looking over the table.

“No coffee for you two today. Doctor’s orders.” Lyla said.

“But-“

“No buts,” the older woman said sternly.

“Fine.” She groaned. Tea it is.

“Aren’t we missing someone?” Digg asked picking up some eggs for his plate.

“He’s probably brooding.” Zari shrugged.

“I’m right here” Oliver Queen entered the kitchen area dressed in a dark suit and a white shirt, looking delicious.

He took in his mother’s and sister’s shocked expressions and turned to his wife to give them a moment. He bent down to kiss her and stayed by her side, waiting for their reaction.

The rest of the table looked on, holding their breath. This was a long time coming.

“O-Ollie?” Thea stammered, getting to her feet.

“Hey, Speedy.” He gave her a shy smile.

And that was it. His sister crashed in his arms, hugging him for dear life. “You’re really here?” she sobbed.

“I am and I am not planning on going anywhere.” He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

“Where have you been?”

“Russia. Mostly. I will tell you about it.” He promised.

“Oliver Jonas Queen! What exactly is going on?” his mother thundered.

“I survived, mother. I survived your pal’s, Malcolm’s, plan to kill dad, and apparently, whoever else was on the Gambit.” His eyes darkened dangerously.

Silence and tension settled around the table. This was news to everyone. And they were all shocked and disgusted.

“What are you talking about, Oliver?” Moira sniffed.

“I know mom. I know. It’s not the first time I return to Starling. Imagine two years ago, I found my way back, ready to reunite with my family, only to overhear you and Malcolm Merlyn talking about how he put a fucking bomb on the Gambit.” Oliver bit out.

“I didn’t know, Oliver! I didn’t. I found out months later and I couldn’t do anything! I had to protect Thea.” Moira said.

“Seeing you so cozy with him, made me run.” He glared.

“I saw you that night,” Thea said. “I thought I was dreaming. I could have had you back two years ago, but I didn’t because of Malcolm Merlyn?”

“How about we go eat by the pool, leave you to talk?” Felicity suggested.

“No, Felicity. You are family. All of you.” Oliver said firmly, letting go of Thea. “I returned to Russia and became a cold-hearted bastard with a reputation that made people shiver. I spent two years in the darkest of places, all because of that night.”

“What happened then?” Thea asked softly.

“I met Felicity.” His face softened. “and even if it was not conventional, our meeting or our marriage, it changed me. Took me by complete surprise.” He smiled at his wife.

“She is your wife? But what about Mr. Smoak?” Moira frowned.

“Smoak is my maiden name.” Felicity provided. “I couldn’t introduce myself as Felicity Queen, so we came up with that.”

“So, you’re my sister in law?” Thea’s face brightened.

“Yes, I am.” She nodded.

“That’s how you recognized me yesterday, then?”

“Yeah, that was a big shock.” She flinched. “I didn’t want you to go through that.”

“But what about you? You were okay with being tortured?”

“No, I wasn’t, but I have experience with it. It’s how I met Oliver.” She looked adoringly at Oliver.

“He came to your rescue then, too? I remember you said something about an American Captain.” Thea frowned trying to recall.

“I am the American Captain,” Oliver said.

“My mother had stolen 2 million dollars’ worth of drugs from the Russians. They sent two thugs to pick her up, but they took me instead. No one realized the mistake for a few days, so they tried to torture the location of the drugs out of me.” She said and heard Thea gasp. “And then, one day, in walked this Greek God and talked to me.”

“Greek God?” Oliver raised an eyebrow playfully.

“Well, you are. So, in came Oliver, who talked to me and called me by my mother’s name. long story short, the Pakhan said that it was either Bratva initiation or marriage to the American Captain.” Felicity told them. “We spent a few months in Russia, but we moved here a couple of weeks ago.”

“Are you staying?” Thea looked from Felicity to Oliver and back again.

“Yes, we are. Permanently.” Oliver assured his sister. “And for the time being _no one_ is going to learn about my being alive.” He said and his eyes landed on his mother.

“You can’t stay dead while living in Starling City, Oliver! Everyone knows you here!” his mother exclaimed.

“I am coming back from the dead mother. Soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to tell me your ideas and what you thought of the chapter and the story! Lots of love! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think and stay safe my loves!


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